It's not a simple story: boy meets girl who may or may not be his mother, may or may not kill his father and then important people died. Don't worry if you seem to be 'huh'-ed in the middle of the story because that happens to anyone reading Kafka on the Shore or at least it happened to me.
The story comprises two plots which are interrelated. A 15 year old boy ran away from his house as he was unable to catch up with the insanity of his father killing cats to eat their souls, Johnie Walker. Another parallel story tells us about an old man, Mr Nakata who could talk to cats at first but after he killed Johnie Walker, his ability to talk to the felines disappeared. The boy who ran away from his home found shelter in a private library. There, he met the person who may or may not be his mother.
Haruki Murakami says that the readers have to read the novel many times to understand the messages and the plots. In some part it is true and it is up to you to believe which characters are real and which are just a 'concept'.
The main character somehow makes you jealous with his knowledge and abilities to survive the whole things happening to him. He is too bookish for a fifteen year old and do know a lot of philosophical concepts which are hard to grasp. That is sometimes it made you want to stop and ponder upon what the character said.
I like the character of the old man, Mr Nakata. A review I read before suggesting that Mr Nakata is maybe a 'concept'. He was affected by a weird event happening just before World War II that made him lost his ability to read or write. He was then became 'empty' and unable to become normal. However, that was when he discovered his ability to talk to cats.
Sardines rained from the sky and soon after it was leeches. These are just some of the weird things happening in the novel. Colonel Sanders made his appearance in the novel as well. He was a pimp!
Kafka on the Shore defies your urge to stop reading. Who would stop reading when Haruki Murakami tells you the sky rain sardines?-The Chukai Insider
No comments:
Post a Comment
Anonymous comments will be deleted except comments from 'anonymous' people I know. Please refrain from comments of a racist, sexist, vulgar or derogatory nature and note that comments can be edited, rewritten for clarity or to avoid questionable issues. The Chukai Insider also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments.