Play Book Tag discussion

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - 4.5* - My Review

Rather than attempt to summarize this zany plot, here’s a portion of the book’s description: “Kafka On The Shore follows the solitary, self-disciplined schoolboy Kafka Tamura as he hops a bus from Tokyo to the randomly chosen town of Takamatsu…. He finds a secluded private library in which to spend his days--continuing his impressive self-education--and is befriended by a clerk and the mysteriously remote head librarian, Miss Saeki, whom he fantasizes may be his long-lost mother. Meanwhile, in a second, wilder narrative spiral, an elderly Tokyo man named Nakata veers from his calm routine by murdering a stranger….Nakata can speak with cats but cannot read or write, nor explain the forces drawing him toward Takamatsu and the other characters.”

With characters named Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders, talking cats, collapsing timelines, and a stone that appears as a portal to a liminal space, it is wildly creative and even absurd. I got caught up in the complex and intricately drawn storylines. It is filled with literary references. I particularly enjoyed Mr. Nakata – what a great character! It is quite humorous in places. It is a little more explicit than I normally prefer, but I tried to ignore those parts and enjoy the rest. It is a strange book in the best possible way. I read this book in memory of a Goodreads friend. This book was one of his favorites.

4.5

I read this in memory of Michael. It is tagged favorites by 7,430 people.