“I happen to like the strange ones. People who look normal and leads normal lives – they’re the ones you have to watch out for.”
Reviewing Kafka on the Shore is no small feat. It’s a metaphor, it’s a feeling, you walk into its storm and when you come out, you’re not the same person who walked in that’s what Kafka on the Shore is all about. After a very long time I was hooked to a book and despite it being 600+ pages long, I finished it! This book ended my reader’s block and that says something about it.
The book revolves around two characters – Kafka and Mr.Nakata two opposite characters in every sense. Two opposite characters and two parallel story lines and I believe that is exactly what makes this book so brilliant. The manner in which the author in verged the story lines is undoubtedly a genius piece of work.
As a reader I never had the pressure or the burden to go back and re-read what I had already read, there was at no point nay form of confusion which was created about the two life stories, the author must be given all the credit for the flawless transitions and the final merged single story line as well.
The book was a roller-coaster ride and I have ambivalent feelings about it. It made my heart race, it had me creep out so much that I had nightmares, it made me introspect about my life and most importantly it made me want to keep reading. The author includes Oedipus complex, magical realism, parallel story lines, a metaphysical overseer, quotes many philosophers and mentions some interesting music bands and artists throughout the book.
My favourite part of the book was when Kafka stayed at Oshima’s logged cabin in the woods. This reminded me of how beautiful silence can be and how magical nature is. I would surely suggest reading this because it’s been one heck of a reading experience for me and I’m certain you’ll enjoy it too.
I’d finally rate Kafka on the Shore 4 out of 5 bookmarks because despite the fast paced story line there were parts which were boring and the sexual parts were definitely cringe-inducing.