Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Kafka på stranden by Haruki Murakami

15 reviews

marsmartis's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

The sex scenes become more justified the more the book advances, but it still feels like not good enough of a reason for them to be there, let alone so detailed, let alone incest and rape.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, War, Abandonment, Cannibalism, and Blood

risemini's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Rape, Sexual content, Death, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Self harm, Violence, and Incest

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

What a book! I had this copy of Kafka on the Shore for almost two years before I tackled it this month and once I started, I couldn't put it down. This is such a creative and intriguing exploration of memory and destiny, the connections that we might and how we come to be the people that we are. How we craft ourselves and are made new every day, while still being informed by all that comes before us. The way that time is used it so trippy and interesting. Time moves past us and through us. We can't get time back and we can waste our whole lives chasing it. And even with these really big ideas, at its core this is a story about a young boy trying to understand himself. The simplicity of that is what keeps the story so tight and I can see why people continue to come back to it. Some parts are tricky...definitely check content warnings and I think that some parts could have been scaled back for sure which stops me from going like up to a 5 star rating for this book. But sometimes the stars are a general guide and I would still recommend this book for sure. Hoshino is my favorite character!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Death, Gore, Incest, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, Murder, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Torture, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Police brutality, and Self harm

lenchen25's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Death, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, and Self harm

hoey_girlboss_queen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Incest, Death, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Murder, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, and Animal death

jo_lzr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Murder, Rape, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Incest, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Sexual violence, Suicide, Misogyny, and Sexual content

gromithorror's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, and Incest

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Mental illness, and War

pennergy's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-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

3.75

For me, this book evokes a mix of nostalgia for stories I read in my youth, curiosity about mysteries in the plot, and distaste for the taboo relationships between some characters. It's not difficult to read, but the story challenges the reader.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, and Death

Minor: Blood, Self harm, Transphobia, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Homophobia

julswk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia

paigedrob's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

A double POV story with a teen boy bildungsroman and an old man who can talk to cats. Definitely an interesting read. They say it's best to read it twice but I don't think I will. If you like Murakami's style and are looking for an unconventional read this may be for you. I would recommend seeing if you like a book like Norwegian wood first before diving into this one, because the writing is a bit unconventional and could be uncomfortable for some. There was some interesting trans representation in this one, and I enjoyed the difference in tone in Nakata and Kafka's chapters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Self harm, and Rape

Minor: Transphobia