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Robin P's Reviews > Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore
by
by
** spoiler alert **
A big thanks to Makrand for sending me a copy of this book. I am obliged. :)
Rating: 3 stars.
The book narrates a beautiful, adventurous story of a boy named Kafka and a man called Nataka who are struggling to find their identity and purpose in an uncanny, mystical world. A moving plot is set, characters are introduced, strange things happen but the questions are never answered. So, don't get your hopes high, or get too excited about the mystery.
There were several things I really admired about this book.
The analogies and examples used by the author to explain the philosophy of life through some characters compel your brain to ponder over some subjects which one generally dismisses (like the question of love and age difference, the core of human nature, the pointless vendettas and wars). What struck me the most was how eloquently the author has shared his insights on human orientation. Oshima, a strong sagacious boy, is not just a mere character in this book but a symbol that reminds us of the barriers, prejudices and stereotypes that reside within us like parasites making the simple, facile concepts of nature and gender look so complicated. It should be noted that throughout the book Oshima was referred to as "he" and not "she" (view spoiler) which puts the conventional notion of gender identity in a new, unique light.
Kafka Tamura is an independent, intrepid, taciturn, serious and a no-nonsense 15-yr-old guy who is a bibliophile. His paths cross with some people while he is desperately looking for some answers and a goal. Nakata is a warm, courteous, innocent old man who has some amusing covert talents. I really don't have an opinion about Miss Saeki or other characters.
The reason why this book didn't appeal to me that much is because it seemed very incomplete. It weaved two stories together which were very faintly connected and never converged. Sometimes the author went into long details about events and characters which did not have much significance to the story. The protagonists were not captivating and seemed lost, ambiguous and confused most of the time. They (except Oshima).lacked a sense of direction; they were capricious and ambivalent. The ending was very abrupt and absurd with no explanations. And I didn't feel a lot of emotions while reading this book (kind of read it with a distant attachment).
Overall, I liked this book for the beautiful writing style, the amazing philosophy, for its uniqueness and dialogues. But the story lacked in strength and fulfillment. However, I am willing to read more books by this author.
Rating: 3 stars.
The book narrates a beautiful, adventurous story of a boy named Kafka and a man called Nataka who are struggling to find their identity and purpose in an uncanny, mystical world. A moving plot is set, characters are introduced, strange things happen but the questions are never answered. So, don't get your hopes high, or get too excited about the mystery.
There were several things I really admired about this book.
The analogies and examples used by the author to explain the philosophy of life through some characters compel your brain to ponder over some subjects which one generally dismisses (like the question of love and age difference, the core of human nature, the pointless vendettas and wars). What struck me the most was how eloquently the author has shared his insights on human orientation. Oshima, a strong sagacious boy, is not just a mere character in this book but a symbol that reminds us of the barriers, prejudices and stereotypes that reside within us like parasites making the simple, facile concepts of nature and gender look so complicated. It should be noted that throughout the book Oshima was referred to as "he" and not "she" (view spoiler) which puts the conventional notion of gender identity in a new, unique light.
Kafka Tamura is an independent, intrepid, taciturn, serious and a no-nonsense 15-yr-old guy who is a bibliophile. His paths cross with some people while he is desperately looking for some answers and a goal. Nakata is a warm, courteous, innocent old man who has some amusing covert talents. I really don't have an opinion about Miss Saeki or other characters.
The reason why this book didn't appeal to me that much is because it seemed very incomplete. It weaved two stories together which were very faintly connected and never converged. Sometimes the author went into long details about events and characters which did not have much significance to the story. The protagonists were not captivating and seemed lost, ambiguous and confused most of the time. They (except Oshima).lacked a sense of direction; they were capricious and ambivalent. The ending was very abrupt and absurd with no explanations. And I didn't feel a lot of emotions while reading this book (kind of read it with a distant attachment).
Overall, I liked this book for the beautiful writing style, the amazing philosophy, for its uniqueness and dialogues. But the story lacked in strength and fulfillment. However, I am willing to read more books by this author.
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Kafka on the Shore.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 9, 2017
– Shelved
January 9, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 8, 2018
–
Started Reading
December 13, 2018
–
45.0%
December 14, 2018
–
50.0%
"Fish and leeches are raining from the sky! Living spirits are wandering in the room! And oh that song� There is too much going on and too many unanswered questions. I hope I get all the answers before I go crazy ;)>"
December 19, 2018
–
66.0%
"I am ambivalent about my feelings regarding this book.
It's true that I have never read anything like this before. I am intrigued by the uncanny story, impressed with Murakami's insight and writing style, and baffled by the puzzling mystery. There were some disgusting moments (Johnny Walker is crazy!) and I am getting a little anxious, but overall I am enjoying it."
It's true that I have never read anything like this before. I am intrigued by the uncanny story, impressed with Murakami's insight and writing style, and baffled by the puzzling mystery. There were some disgusting moments (Johnny Walker is crazy!) and I am getting a little anxious, but overall I am enjoying it."
December 19, 2018
–
Finished Reading
l don't think they were lost. Aware of the fact that something vital was missing in them, they were on the journey to find that part. As for the end, like so many things Murakami left it to readers to interpret...