Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I've had this book and it's been on my TBR since late 2019, having won it in the last Swap from Johanne. I was in the midst of reading Proust at that point and could not take it on. It's been on my Unofficial Trim list since 2020 - and was an alternate read for a number or two that was picked each year but again, I was not ready for it.

I am so glad it popped up finally at the right time! Johanne - add me to the fan club!

Review:

How to describe this awesomeness - surreal, quirky, magical, mystical, fantastical, often funny, and more come to mind. The plot - even harder. There are 2 primary narrators. The even numbered chapters are Nakato, and his story is not quite told in linearly as they start back during WWII where something happens that changes the boy Nakato's life forever. For most of the book he's an older man, illiterate, odd and capable of talking with cats. Oh yes, talking cats are very important here. The odd numbered chapters belong to a 15 year old runaway whose adopted the name Kafka and is trying to evade an Oedipal prophecy imposed on him by his father. Kafka's story is sequential, linear, and basically covers about a 10 day period. Both stories twist and turn around each other with both normal and abnormal events happening, like fish raining from the sky in a set location, a bloody murder, a haunting painting and song, and a crow guiding Kafka. Then the plot gets a tad weird.

In the end, I see this as a book of journeys, of those lost on journeys who need help to find their ways forward - or to where they are to end. It's also a book about the necessity of friendships, the inability to avoid or manipulate fate, and the importance of culture, art, music, literature in one's life. It's also very funny and magical. Loved loved loved it.

This may be my first Murakami but it certainly won't be my last.

For the record, this reminded me a great deal of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita without all the christian religion overlay. I'm now curious as to whether Murakami has read it; I suspect he has.

So glad to see you loved it too, Theresa! This is the book that spurred me to read Murakami on my annual "author's body of work" list, where I read at least 5 books from an author's back catalogue.

Joy D wrote: "So glad to see you loved it too, Theresa! This is the book that spurred me to read Murakami on my annual "author's body of work" list, where I read at least 5 books from an author's back catalogue."

I may have to make Murakami an annual read myself. Given that the other Murakami I own and have on my TBR is twice the length of Kafka, that may be the best way to tackle his work.

I think this is actually an excellent introduction to his work.

This was the first Murakami book I read also and I loved it. I can't explain why I like his books, which are always quite surrealistic with most things unexplained. Yet the emotions are real. The ending of this book actually made me cry (in a good way.) There are always cats, also wells or holes, missing persons, Western music such as jazz or The Beatles.