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A review by joinedfrays
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
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