Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami

49 reviews

hannxm's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Incest

Minor: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

valjeanval's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I picked this one up at the library to celebrate Banned Books Month. I've read a bit of Murakami in the past, so I expected some weirdness, and I was right to expect it. This book is an Oedipal myth, and it gets very mythy with talking cats, personality displacement, and portals to pocket dimensions. I couldn't see the exact reason why it was banned, but probably statutory sex scenes with people who may be mother/son but it could also be the fact that it features a trans man who is particularly nuanced and treated like a human being by basically every character. You just never know with book banners.

My husband often asks me if I'm liking whatever I'm reading, and I often found that questions hard to answer with this one. This book is profoundly uncomfortable and occasionally horrific. It's also Murakami, so there's a great deal I probably need four or five re-reads to interpret. Did I like it? Kind of? When I wasn't horrified? It's hard to explain. I had similar feelings after 1Q84. I like reading Murakami, though, because it really makes my literary interpreter brain kick into gear. Even when I don't understand points of the story, I enjoy thinking about them and why they are there. This book made me think about Japanese civilians in WWII, Greek Mythology, classical music, poetry, libraries as memories, memories as libraries, why people help others, capitalism, philosophy, and lots more, so it felt worth my time. That said, definitely check out some trigger warnings before reading this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Incest

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

booksense's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Murder

wmelissa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

geerbeer's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Wtf gewoon. Kon ook wel zonder alle rare seksuele fantasieën en onnodig dierenleed 😭 ben hier ook gewoon te dom voor ofzo. Wel interessante concepten over de ziel en soms mooi omschreven stukken.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

_engy_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

milliebiggs's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My copy of Kafka On The Shore is now possibly my most treasured book. Murakami is an insane genius and I want his brain just without his pervertedness. This book was absolutely insane and confusing but so incredible. I loved all of these characters and this was just such a smart book!! Insane!!! Murakami has some crazy effect on me idk what this book was laced with. But anyway this was a very good book and I have so many thoughts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment

soton's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

2nd Murakami book. The author has a clear formula: two women, the one I (the protagonist) long for the most but who's out of reach, then the one who's unrealistically frank and open with from the second I meet who I have sex with. It's too formulaic, like the same book in different fonts.

I still think they're well written, and I like the magical realism aspects, but ultimately I didn't enjoy the fetish content which I feel like was a huge aspect of this book. The pseudo-incest foreshadowing "You are prophesized to sleep with your sister and mother", and the weird way Oshima was written about calling him a "he/she" who "becomes a woman when he sleeps" all just made me want to stop reading it. The intended thrill of the incest just manifested as dread for me, and the self-insert rape scenes were worse than I was expecting. It feels like reading someone's personal fantasy fulfillment for fantasies I don't have. It's clear Murakami books aren't for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Transphobia, and Murder

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

clusterf_cked's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sereads7's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts