Haruki Murakami

Kafka on the Shore follows the fortunes of two remarkable characters. Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father's dark prophecy. The ageing Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his simple life suddenly turned upside down. Their parallel odysseys are enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerising dramas. Cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since WWII. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle. At once a classic tale of quest, Kafka on the Shore is also a bold exploration of mythic and contemporary taboos, of patricide, of mother-love, of sister-love. Above all it is a bewitching and wildly inventive novel from a master stylist.

Kafka on the Shore

An unlikely alliance forms between Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old runaway, and the aging Nakata, a man who has never recovered from a wartime affliction, as they embark on a surreal odyssey through a strange, fantastical world.

fareez

“You’re exactly right,” Miss Saeki says, beaming. “But at the time, he was an unknown, so perhaps it couldn’t be helped. There are many things we only see clearly in retrospect.”

This is such an interesting way to describe attraction and relationships.

"In ancient times people weren't just male or female, but one of three types: male/male, male/female, or female/female. In other words, each person was made out of the components of two people. Everyone was happy with this arrangement and never really gave it much thought. But then God took a knife and cut everybody in half, right down the middle. So after that the world was divided just into male and female, the upshot being that people spend their time running around trying to locate their missing other half."

"chance encounters are what keep us going"

"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions"

soseki

“Do you think music has the power to change people? Like you listen to a piece and go through some major change inside?”

      Oshima nodded. “Sure, that can happen. We have an experience—like a chemical reaction—that transforms something inside us. When we examine ourselves later on, we discover that all the standards we’ve lived by have shot up another notch and the world’s opened up in unexpected ways. Yes, I’ve had that experience. Not often, but it has happened. It’s like falling in love.

bella <3

in fact, the harder i try, the more i lose my sense of who i am. it's as if my identity's an orbit that i've strayed far away from, and that really hurts. but more than that, it scares me. just thinking about it makes me flinch.

"i mean that i'd change into something i shouldn't"

"as long there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. it always happens, sooner or later."

"but even if that happens, you've got to have a place you can retrace your steps to."

i try to imagine myself in 40 years’ time, but it’s like trying to imagine what lies beyond the universe. 

rain falls, something scrambles across the cabin roof, and sometimes i hear indescribable sounds i can't explain. i never knew the world was full of so many beautiful, natural sounds. 

aiko

“Individual errors in judgment can usually be corrected. As long as you have the courage to admit mistakes, things can be turned around. But intolerant, narrow minds with no imagination are like parasites that transform the host, change form, and continue to thrive. They're a lost cause”

ximena

let a bright light shine in and melt the coldness in your heart. that’s what being tough is all about. 

i wasn’t alone but i was terribly lonely. because i knew that i would never be happier than i was then. 

all these millions of stars looking down on me, and i’ve never given them more than a passing thought before. not only the stars- how many other things haven’t i noticed in the world? things i know nothing about? 

Brandon Liew

海辺のカフカ

Beatrix

The massive bank of thunderclouds crossed the city at a lethargic pace, letting loose a flurry of lightning bolts as if probing every nook and cranny for a long-lost morality, eventually dwindling to a faint, angry echo from the eastern sky. 

Silence, I discover, is something you can actually hear.

But listening to the D major, I can feel the limits of what humans are capable of - that a certain type of perfection can only be realised through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.

Madhav Nadar G

"Mr. Hoshino?" Nakata said, breaking the silence. "The sea is a really nice thing, isn't it?"

"Probably 'cause it's so big, with nothing on it," Hoshino said, pointing. "You wouldn't feel so calm if there was a 7-Eleven over there, or a Seiyu department store, would you? 

Surfing's a more profound kind of sport than it looks. When you surf you learn not to fight the power of nature, even if it gets violent

Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father's dark prophesy. The aging Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his pleasantly simplified life suddenly turned upside down. As their parallel odysseys unravel, cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghost-like pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since World War II. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle - one of many which combine to create an elegant and dreamlike masterpiece. 'Wonderful... Magical and outlandish' Daily Mail 'Hypnotic, spellbinding' The Times 'Cool, fluent and addictive' Daily Telegraph

Alina

Sofia Kim

I believe that a good book does not abandon its reader the minute the reader read the last word on its last page. It encourages discussion and even puzzles, urging the reader to search for answers. This is what happened to me after reading this book. It absolutely gets your mind working, trying to figure out what Haruki Murakami is trying to say, and what the literature is has spoken with me. I might just be reading too much into it but it is definitely insightful.

Marz 

Ah it took me awhile to finish this but I enjoyed this book immensely. This was my first proper Murakami book and it certainly won't be my last.

Haikal Satria

Somewhere between magic and reality, there falls Kafka on the Shore.

Playing out like a Greek tragedy, the story tiptoes on the bounds of sanity and morality. But what is magnificent is how it manages to capture your attention all throughout its twists and turns. Murakami is a spectacular writer, not because of his ability for grandiose pieces, but rather because of his subtlety and how he treats even the most mythical storylines as if it was just another day in the neighborhood.

Udit

** spoiler alert **
           my first book ever that i read from start to finish. 

loved the book especially the whole nakata thing and its first part where the US Army interrogates people. thank you abhishek for recommending this book to me i will never forget ab this, i owe u one.

maitha mana

Kafka on the Shore. The painting worth a thousand words. The painting with every meaning yet no meaning at all. Memories that never happened and a world that never existed. Cats. Sardines. Aloha shirts. And a twisted ending. Brilliant nonetheless.

Kafka's identity is made up of scattered fragments, blown up and tossed in different forms, time, and place. As he navigates through the world around him, he finds omens that guide him and faces that seem almost familiar. My favorite part of this book is the little things Kafka seeks to momentarily keep him grounded; such as his love of books, his walkman, Radiohead, and the trees.

amari

things i like in Murakami books: 
aloof woman 
cats 
pov 
subtle philosophy 
things i dislike in Murakami books: 
explicit sex 
aloof woman being sexualized  
relationships that feel illegal 
music references (can be redundant)

Rosa

could have done with less descriptions of a 15 year old’s genitals

trezaa

everything was so disconnected yet connected in the best way possible

Qonita

** spoiler alert **
           Kafka on the Shore is one of my favorite books but I'm not even sure that good and the likes are the right words to describe it. It just made me feel like I was a fetus reading in a warm womb. Like, I couldn't use any preconceived knowledge about the world to interpret it. Baca aja pake otak kosong melompong. And it's not about knowing what it's about, it's about how it makes you feel. Like, I probably can tell you the whole plot but that's not the point. 

Anyway, I've read it twice and I still can't properly remember the plot. The big picture was there but it was fleeting. Because keeping track of what's happening wasn't even a priority. Instead, every bit was radiant. They were each connected with this transparent string but you'll savor and treasure them individually.To put it simply, it's about 15 years old runaway and an old simpleton who lost his shadow. They each had something they were searching for and their lives would slowly entangle in an enigmatic twist. There will be some parallels in their stories but it's so fluid that everything was a certain something but it was also not. They never even met. Even the time dimension was mental such that people from different time frames could meet in a casual encounter. This part was so eerie I love iT.

Honestly, no book from any other author left me feeling content with such questionable and obscure narrative (except other Japanese authors. Seriously, what is wrong with them. What is Japanese literature. What is Japan). When things went astray from our reality, little to no explanation would be given, but dude, it's okay because you won't even ask for it. We're expected to take it as a given and we will. Strangely enough, the writing itself is actually very straight forward. Murakami managed to be hella sublime and vague with that. Quite extraordinary if you ask me.
Swimming on Murakami's world has been therapeutic for me. I might keep rereading it as I go. It's that good! Kafka on the Shore is recommended for everyone, especially Budi Darma fans!

ella

this is my first reading of murakami. and it's surprisingly amazing, though this book has a strange, out of this world kinda of story. i love the style of most of the narrative, i love how contemplative some parts. sure there are parts i cannot like, the sexual parts. but the rest of the story are amazing. i especially love nakata and hoshino parts. their relationship was compelling. and indeed nakata as a character was adorable. my point is this story is amazing and different, amazingly different or differently amazing i can't tell which exactly. and if I'm asked, "do i want to read more murakami's works?" the answer is yes, i do! I wanna know more about his works. but I'll be picky not to choose the books that contain a lot of eroticism.

JoAnna

This was my summer reading book that I ended up finishing mid-December. I adored Nakata and thoroughly enjoyed Oshima's relationship with Kafka. (view spoiler)[Nakata's ailment is never explained, but I feel like we as readers can give this a pass, in that we believe the events that caused his condition to begin with. When he loses his ability to speak with cats, it feels natural, easy to accept the premise that people are fluid and can gain + lose abilities.  (hide spoiler)]

While reading this, I thought a lot about Murakami's ability to create verisimilitude. For the most part he was successful, at times I felt he really wasn't. I found it hard to believe Hoshino took to Beethoven the way he did, and that he and Kafka both liked François Truffaut films—almost as if Murakami self-inserted his own interests into the novel because he felt like it. Where he was successful: the dreamlike scenes. When Murakami flips first person with second person, it works for reasons I can't articulate. I can't imagine what it would be like to plot out a novel like this: I'm not sure I understood all the interworkings of the world Murakami created here. That being said, I believed it. 

My biggest gripe with this book was the length of it. For a book with a journey, it meanders all the way there. A friend I discussed this novel with said it was plotless (which I don't agree with, but it sure felt that way at times). I swear, Murakami could've conveyed the same story in 300 pages vs. 460+. Many times I almost abandoned the book due to the sheer tedium of the language (ie. three sentences that could've been said in one). That being said, it was worth finishing, and the density of the chapters made me pace the book in a way that gave me time to think about the scenes as they unfolded. This was not a book I could have personally blown through.

mahek

shadee

favorite haruki murakami book ive readd. a cool read for a change. a little haruki murakamis stories wont hurt.

Jackie Lu

This book was pretty different for me since it was the firsg Marukami book i’ve read, i really liked it though & would recommend it to people :]

désirée

i'm in panera bread writing this rn. a beautiful book i'm just not sure what it's about. the prose is poetic, but often overly sexual in classic murakami style. overall so so so pretty and glad i took my time with this.

A teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom.

Kasa

i love this book. i really mean it. i wish i could read it for the first time again

★★★ // i read the first three-fourths part of this in one sitting, but somehow lost interest when i finished the rest. one thing that’s so great about this novel is how it effortlessly sucks me into its world that when i look up from reading, the world suddenly seems different. that’s the murakami power.

Fernando Soares

Livro maravilhoso. História que prende. Gostei tanto que foi o livro mais rápido que já li e torcia pra não acabar.

This is my first encounter with Murakami’s work and I have to say I’ve been bewitched.
The story allows you to take a journey alongside with its brilliantly crafted characters, a journey deep within yourself despite, or maybe because of, the harsh yet sweet sea of memories that tips the toes. 
It makes you question quite a lot of things, yet it doesn’t judge them for you - because it’s important you can distinguish what’s right or wrong for yourself, form your own value system.
Unusual happenings occur, metaphors in which you can find solace of sort; simple sentences can hide the most difficult but valuable truths. 
There’s magic in his writing, I’d say, something I won’t even try to explain but which I’m sure all of his readers are aware of. 
It also won’t be uncommon if I mention where the issue lays, the over sexualisation of characters, especially women, which often made me put the book aside for a while, but apart from that aspect I really admire his work and I’m very grateful for it.
I believe I’ll get back to this book at some point of my life, when I’m more mature, and capable of getting the most out of it. But as for now, I’m glad this story has found me in a place I am in, that it has become something I can go back to.
And its characters are the ones to always stay stored on the stacks of a heart, even if I didn’t want them to; like books that remind me what being human and alive means (“Kafka on the Shore” included).

y✦

✦ an experience
✦ honestly still not sure if i liked it or not
✦ sm triggering scenes wc i think didnt do much to the plot
✦ but then again it wasn't rly linear
✦ magic realism, also vv absurd
✦ enjoyed the literary and music references

pedophiles, rape, murder and mystery. the ideal murakami book. 

madhav murgai

pedophiles, rape, murder and mystery. the ideal murakami book. 



Kafka on the Shore

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