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japhs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
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.
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.
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.
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
jayvdw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book is a fever dream. It may not feel like it while reading, but the moment you close the book and try to really think about everything, that is the moment it hits you.
After finishing the book the first thing I did was browse the internet for almost an hour, reading and listening to different theories. The book is complex and like Murakami said: the book consists of several riddles with no answers, instead the riddles combine, and the possibility of an answer emerges. In my eyes, this means there is no one way to interpret the book. Each and every person will have their own view of the meaning and full story.
I loved how the book combined Western and Eastern philosophy and mythology. This only enriches the fever dream-like feeling of the book. In addition to this, the book talks about many different important themes and makes you think about them.
Overall, the book is wild and crazy, it brings out the magic within the mundane. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complex story. Even after finishing the book, it will still haunt your mind and you will wonder what it all could really have been about.
After finishing the book the first thing I did was browse the internet for almost an hour, reading and listening to different theories. The book is complex and like Murakami said: the book consists of several riddles with no answers, instead the riddles combine, and the possibility of an answer emerges. In my eyes, this means there is no one way to interpret the book. Each and every person will have their own view of the meaning and full story.
I loved how the book combined Western and Eastern philosophy and mythology. This only enriches the fever dream-like feeling of the book. In addition to this, the book talks about many different important themes and makes you think about them.
Overall, the book is wild and crazy, it brings out the magic within the mundane. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complex story. Even after finishing the book, it will still haunt your mind and you will wonder what it all could really have been about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Grief, and War
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
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
phcrn__18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
joinedfrays's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was certainly a book.
There are so many things that I dislike about this book, namely the (spoilers)very prominent adult/minor relationship... or whatever the fuck that was, the incest, and somewhat personal gripes with how Murakami writes the women in this book and the handling of Oshima's gender —yet for whatever reason, the writing compelled me, and I kept reading, and reading, and reading more. I haven't read Oedipus Rex in a while and I remember thoroughly hating it, in all honesty. But I read this, and I couldn't read anything more for a few days because I couldn't get this out of my mind.
I don't know what draws me to it. Perhaps it's the surrealism, the incredibly flawed cast of characters, or several real-life coincidences I experienced (is that the right word?) regarding the book. Minor things, but considering how much of a role coincidence plays in this book, it was kind of creepy to me in the moment. It's probably a mix of these things that kept me reading to the end.
I left this book not knowing what to take from it. I spent a long, long time thinking about what made this book so enjoyable to me. I think the writing is flat and dated, the characters aren't very compelling, and the plot was strange, to say the least. But the experience of reading this book left me with such a strange and surreal feeling afterwards that I can't help but enjoy it.
I think a lot of people who have read this book have had similar experiences. This isn't the kind of book I particularly recommend for the plot or the writing, but rather, how I felt reading it. And for that, it gets a 4.25 stars for me, no matter how much I dislike about it.
There are so many things that I dislike about this book, namely the (spoilers)
I don't know what draws me to it. Perhaps it's the surrealism, the incredibly flawed cast of characters, or several real-life coincidences I experienced (is that the right word?) regarding the book. Minor things, but considering how much of a role coincidence plays in this book, it was kind of creepy to me in the moment. It's probably a mix of these things that kept me reading to the end.
I left this book not knowing what to take from it. I spent a long, long time thinking about what made this book so enjoyable to me. I think the writing is flat and dated, the characters aren't very compelling, and the plot was strange, to say the least. But the experience of reading this book left me with such a strange and surreal feeling afterwards that I can't help but enjoy it.
I think a lot of people who have read this book have had similar experiences. This isn't the kind of book I particularly recommend for the plot or the writing, but rather, how I felt reading it. And for that, it gets a 4.25 stars for me, no matter how much I dislike about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
justin_stark's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Blood
kayliee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Sexual content
swanwords's review against another edition
I couldn't finish this book. I have a number of complaints, chief among them is Haruki Murakami's complete and utter lack of understanding of PEOPLE. While I understand sometimes words get lost in translation, Murakami's writing skills seem to be afflicted more by his inadequate character development than translation errors.
The book is partially based on the Oedpius complex. However, it reads like a hollow story about, well... nothing. Another person in these reviews said that none of the characters in the book seem to understand that they are dealing with a 15-year-old and I couldn't agree more. The author's side characters are devoid of emotions, especially guilt.Why wouldn't you call the police if a 15-year-old runaway shows up at your library? Why wouldn't you call the police after that 15-year-old is orphaned? Why would you molest a 15-year-old after he was just injured on the side of the road and had no one else to call? The characters in this book are senseless, like sad puppets in a boring play.
There were some moments where the book was mildly interesting and these mainly centered around the other character, Nakata. His story was engaging until he encountered an out-of-place character that kills cats (graphically). Murakami attempts to weave some sort of philosophical, fantastical meaning into this man's life but fails. The book seriously DRAGS after Nakata's turning point.
Lastly, I think it's a well-known issue the way that Murakami talks about women and the fact that his novels are held in high regard "in spite of" is disappointing. The author outwardly criticizes all of his female characters and jests about the concerns of feminists. He fabricates feminist concerns as well, such as there being no female restroom in an all-gender restroom. Murakami's implicit biases are clearly a driving force in his literature and I find that his writing is not even close to being good enough for this to be excused.
The book is partially based on the Oedpius complex. However, it reads like a hollow story about, well... nothing. Another person in these reviews said that none of the characters in the book seem to understand that they are dealing with a 15-year-old and I couldn't agree more. The author's side characters are devoid of emotions, especially guilt.
There were some moments where the book was mildly interesting and these mainly centered around the other character, Nakata. His story was engaging until he encountered an out-of-place character that kills cats (graphically). Murakami attempts to weave some sort of philosophical, fantastical meaning into this man's life but fails. The book seriously DRAGS after Nakata's turning point.
Lastly, I think it's a well-known issue the way that Murakami talks about women and the fact that his novels are held in high regard "in spite of" is disappointing. The author outwardly criticizes all of his female characters and jests about the concerns of feminists. He fabricates feminist concerns as well, such as there being no female restroom in an all-gender restroom. Murakami's implicit biases are clearly a driving force in his literature and I find that his writing is not even close to being good enough for this to be excused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, and Rape