With Kafka in Japan

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Phew! About time I give this book a decent review.

I think 'Kafka on the Shore' is that rare, one-in-a-million book that I, personally, will always cherish.


The biggest reason for that is I lost my pet dog of 17 years(yes! I'm not kidding you; he was 1995 born!) just hours after Mr. Nakata passed away in the book. So, more than anything else, this book was with me like a friend when I was at my emotionally worst. The pages of my copy bear my tears, I slept with it for a fortnight after my pet died and all that while, the only thing that kept me from being a complete, miserable, incurable emotional wreck was the whole 'Entrance Stone' part.

Now, some of you must be wondering why the death of a pet was so hard for me? 'It was only a dog and a very old dog, at that!' you'd say. Well, have you ever had a pet? And had him since you were 4 till you turned 21?

But wait! Where is this going? This is supposed to be a decent review on
'Kafka on the Shore'
and not on 'How the Reader lost her Dog' . So, I'll stop mourning and focus!




'Kafka on the Shore'
is one of the BEST books you'll ever read. It's deep, it's profound and it is simply beyond the scope of definition or description! It's intriguing, disturbing and sometimes it will just leave you confused! But, trust me, it's one of a kind! You'll never read anything like this and I bet you would have never read anything like this before.

Take the best of writers from around the globe, mix them and you get
'Kafka on the Shore'
. I found my favourites in Murakami's style of writing; you'll find yours!

It's an extremely powerful book,
'Kafka on the Shore'
! It has that rare ability to haunt you even weeks after you've finished reading it. Only an extremely foolish person would disapprove of it! You cannot have read it and not liked it just like you couldn't come across a riddle or a mystery and not be intrigued by it!

The book is truly magical in every sense of the word! From the first page onwards, it's like a pair on invisible hands grab you and keep you glued to the book.

I mean, come on! I sleep with it under my pillow every night even now! I can almost hear Miss Saeki singing
'Kafka on the Shore'
. I still have spells when all I can think of is the Entrance and the song, talking cats and fish raining from the sky!

I honestly owe a LOT to Haruki Murakami for this book and in return, Mr. Murakami, you owe me some serious explanations, the lack of which made me give this excellent book just 4 stars!

1. What was Kafka Tamura's real name?
2. Was Sakura really his sister?
3. Why was Nakata like he was? What went wrong with him on the hill?


I'm still wondering and I think I will continue to do so until I am on the other side of the Entrance Stone!



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