Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Kafka am Strand

Truly mixed feelings about this one. There are many things about this book that I really liked. I liked the prose style, magic realism, the unconventional structure, the cats! But there were also things that were a big turn off, including the main character Kafka who I found incredibly irritating. The book is split into 2 parallel narratives. In one an old man who may or may not be from a parallel universe talks to cats, encounters magical characters, befriends a truck driver and goes on a road trip while strange things fall from the sky. I loved everything about this part of the book. Solid 4⭐️.
The other story is about a precocious (or just obnoxious) 15 y.o. who ran away from home, goes to a library and has preachy conversations with the librarian (yes, I know there is more to it...) This part of the book annoyed me to no end. Every character seems to be pontificating about philosophy is the most unnatural manner all the time. But I had even bigger issues with the unrealistic portrayal of women, uncomfortable sex scenes that revolved around a potential Oedipus situation. I know some ppl can look past those issues and enjoy the other aspects of the book, but they were big turn offs for me which kinda ruined my enjoyment despite appreciating the positive aspects of the craft.

Content Warnings

wheatsquares33's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

4.5

Note: I listened to about the first 60% as an audiobook (which was very well done!), but then I realized that I could read it faster than I'd listen to it, so I bought it physically and read the rest.

Very good book, there's a lot a lot to unpack here. Murakami says that it requires multiple readings, and yeah it's very that.

More than anything, it's a very surreal story. And in a way that I very much enjoy, I love stories that throw everything at the wall--some things symbolically, some just for fun. It's very cool.

I finished the book satisfied, but there are still some questions I need to answer, and I'm fine with that.

Even without the more esoteric content, this was a very enjoyable listen/read. I love Nakata and Hoshino and Oshima, all great characters. It's just a good coming of age story at its core, and there's a lot to dig into alongside that.

Some moments like the uh Johnny Walker cat chapter and some of the sex stuff are unpleasant and a bit excessive. But it does all kinda contribute to the flow of the story?

So hang pretty baller book. Will probably read again someday

Content Warnings

barkfreely's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

I nearly threw up on the tram while reading this book because of the cat section (iykyk). Horrific, still affected me the second time - and haunts me even years later. Well written in Murakami's typical minimal and yet equally detailed, descriptive style. You can visualise what's happening - the world is paved very meticulously. Very interesting, wild and tumultuous narrative; it draws you in. Made my skin crawl at points; times where I hated to see the ideas but couldn't stop.

Humans being human, emotional, illogical and impulsive, violent, caring and gentle - even within the backdrop of unexplained phenomenon. Classic Murakami.

Content Warnings

valjeanval's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

booksense's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

bobbijo104's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

Content Warnings

mdumler's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Not my style at all, really struggled to finish it, I was frequently uncomfortable in ways that I didn't really feel contributed to the story. Definitely should have done trigger warnings for animal abuse, murder, rape, and relations with a minor

Content Warnings

chloerm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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

4.5

Content Warnings

More...