Kafka on the Shore: The enchanting classic of Japanese fiction in a new hardback gift edition
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-03 04:41:53
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Haruki Murakami
- ISBN：1784877980
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Summary
A beautifully packaged hardback edition of Haruki Murakami's mesmerizingly surreal classic， now with a new introduction by the author
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
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
Reviews
Arzû Acar
，
Murakami just has a way of writing that is not only captivating but makes everything around you- time and space - disappear。 Weird， mystical， taboo subjects， dreams， desires， speaking with cats， long journey to finally come to the ordinary life - which in the case of the 15 years old Kafka Tamura is exactly how it ended。 His dad had put a “spell” on him and he had to go live it， only to come back home and continue with he ran away from - his life。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested Murakami just has a way of writing that is not only captivating but makes everything around you- time and space - disappear。 Weird， mystical， taboo subjects， dreams， desires， speaking with cats， long journey to finally come to the ordinary life - which in the case of the 15 years old Kafka Tamura is exactly how it ended。 His dad had put a “spell” on him and he had to go live it， only to come back home and continue with he ran away from - his life。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the not so ordinary life of a 15 years old that is seeking his identity and trying to understand why he was left by his mother… 。。。more
Clara Fu
，
Wow。 Murakami's magical realism at its finest。 This book is a metaphysical coming-of-age tale that follows young narrator Kafka Tamura as he flees from a family curse， while an old man named Nakata is drawn down a parallel path by an inexplicable intrinsic force。 As the genre goes， odd happenings are described so matter of factly while the mundane are examined with great detail。 So， we are promptly told that leeches rain from the sky without further explanation， but the nuances of driving to cla Wow。 Murakami's magical realism at its finest。 This book is a metaphysical coming-of-age tale that follows young narrator Kafka Tamura as he flees from a family curse， while an old man named Nakata is drawn down a parallel path by an inexplicable intrinsic force。 As the genre goes， odd happenings are described so matter of factly while the mundane are examined with great detail。 So， we are promptly told that leeches rain from the sky without further explanation， but the nuances of driving to classical music are dedicated paragraphs of further discourse。 This is a paradox that carries so many of the central issues that Kafka and the others grapple with: What constitutes reality， how to perceive existence in relation to others， the inescapable passage of time， how memory and fate work in tandem， all these observations are told in stunningly metaphorical scenes that I think aren’t meant to be fully grasped， and instead found myself accepting wherever the story took me， which I think was Murakami’s intention。 Each character observed their own periods of self-reflection and I found these parts to be a breathing space for some of my own。I can visualize the entire world that this is set in: The Meiji period library， the looming forest， the hidden village。 It all wrapped together into this bizarre space and plane on which one can move through the intricacies of daily life while transcending beyond all that is fathomable。 Intertwined with details from our modern world， it made it all the more surreal。Those are my thoughts， for the time being。 。。。more
AJ
，
Absolutely loved it， alternating in each chapter is 5/5 ⭐️
Dani
，
i liked the surrealist stuff but the women are badly written
julianna
，
3，5
Roberto D。
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Book 193 out of 200 books"Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami"Kafka on the Shore" is a novel by Haruki Murakami， first published in the year 2002， but not translated 'till 2005 in English。 This novel is the story of Kafka Tamura and his bildungsroman adventure as he flees his domineering father and settles in Takamatsu， Japan。 A bookish teenager by nature， he settles at a library and reads numerous authors such as Natsume Soseki and reading Richard Francis Burton's translation of the "One Tho Book 193 out of 200 books"Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami"Kafka on the Shore" is a novel by Haruki Murakami， first published in the year 2002， but not translated 'till 2005 in English。 This novel is the story of Kafka Tamura and his bildungsroman adventure as he flees his domineering father and settles in Takamatsu， Japan。 A bookish teenager by nature， he settles at a library and reads numerous authors such as Natsume Soseki and reading Richard Francis Burton's translation of the "One Thousand and One Nights"。 But everything has an end and soon， like a cat and mouse game， flees again to Kochi Prefecture via travelling with Oshima， a friend of his from the library。That is not about it though。 While Kafka's story is told in the first person perspective in odd chapters， the even chapters tell the story of an elderly illiterate man Satoru Nakata， who has the ability to talk to cats。 But circumstances itself doesn't go well for Nakata because in the spring of life-threatening events， he flees his nursing home。This novel is one of Haruki Murakami's most well-known works。 This novel won a spot at the Top 10 Books of 2005 of the New York Times' consensus。 MY THOUGHTS:I have been wanting to review this work for quite a long time， but because I was committed to reviewing all of Haruki Murakami's novels in the order that they were published， It still took me nearly 7 months to review this work after actually reading it。This novel was so hypnotic to read！ This was the second Murakami book that I've read as well as the second book that I've read this year and it is a great way to start this year。 This work felt so surreal by the time Kafka started having this wet dreams， dreaming of his *mother that he couldn't really stop。 Quite normal for a teenager for these sexual occurrences but why his mother though？ I was for surety that Miss Saeki was Kafka's long lost mother。 Well， Kafka is suffering from this Oedipus complex because his father was a mean man， I give you that。 But in the end of it all， he was a normal teenager who just couldn't really find himself in his life。 Though， it still was hypnotic reading this work， the entrance and the mysterious library， his friendship with Oshima and finally him hiding in the Prefecture of Koshi， makes this novel all the more mysterious。But things， just like all of Haruki Murakami's oeuvre， are never thoroughly explained， thereby bringing us to Satoru Nakata's tale。 These even chapter segments are far more confusing than Kafka's own chapters。 Satoru Nakata is illiterate but can talk to cats， later on he gets intimidated， his life threatened by a cat killer Johnny Walker， his brutality woven in a flute made entirely from cat remains and fur！ Nakata kills the man， and flees， thereby his life being changed for the worse。 Enter Hoshino， an aloof truck driver， young， vigorous， he flees with Nakata as well。 Nakata and Hoshino encounter magical surrealist events such as fish （I can't remember if it was Mackerel） falling from the ground， thereby stinking the area as well as Nakata still wondering why he was wandering around。Nakata and Kafka never meet in the novel but their lives， their circumstances， even the deaths of Nakata and Miss Saeki feels all the more surreal that Nakata may just be an elder version of Kafka。 But let us not forget Miss Saeki either。 I've forgotten the song that she composed when she was a singer but the melody still is composed here at the back of my mind nearly 8 months after reading this work。 Her dying so suddenly of a *heart attack felt so sad， man！ In the end， Nakata dies， Miss Saeki dies， Hoshino returns to his ordinary job， Sakura， the elder woman who helped Kafka in dealing with teenage angst， too， returns to her old life， Kafka is part of the whole new world again， as initiated by his more sinister figure "The Boy named Crow" who physically appears in only 2 chapters of the novel but his existence brood the entire novel。5 stars for this novel！ I enjoyed reading this work because it felt all too surrealist and all the more enjoyable。 Murakami wrote such an aloof yet wonderful story that I'd never forget at all！ Getting this far into the interview， you may read that I just summarized the 50+ chaptered novel， but I've naught else to provide commentary on。 This novel itself doesn't make sense at all due to its magical realist nature， I still interpret it as a feels good novel。 Great novel by Haruki Murakami！***Ted-Ed Video to "Why Should You Read "Kafka on the Shore"？":https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=mB4FO。。。 。。。more
Hajar 1
，
كتاب غريب احداثة متسلسلة ماشوف فيه اي حوسة بالعكس احداث منطقية لكن فيه بعض الاحداث ماكان لها داعي اي كتاب فيه احداث مالها علاقة بالقصة و+١٨ ججدااا يقلل من تقييمي له لكن كفكرة جمييل كل احد يقدر يفهم منه القصة عحسب مخيلته وفكرته（ كتاب متعدد النهايات ）
moonflower
，
murakami you are a loser and the only parts i liked about this book were the chapters excluding kafka and the end （more or less）
Noor Amaliana
，
LMAOOOOOO it was my first ever Murakami book， and the fact that I'd never read any surrealism genre before makes it。。。 well， kind of shocking。 Its sexual scenes are pictured in the most bizarre way， its plot is outta my mind but I enjoyed the reading time。 👍 LMAOOOOOO it was my first ever Murakami book， and the fact that I'd never read any surrealism genre before makes it。。。 well， kind of shocking。 Its sexual scenes are pictured in the most bizarre way， its plot is outta my mind but I enjoyed the reading time。 👍 。。。more
tina t。
，
this felt like it was written by a fourteen year old but in a good way。
Juan
，
Excelente libro， no por nada catalogado uno de los mejores de Murakami。 Las emociones tan intensas que describe a lo largo del libro logran llegar a uno de forma impresionante。 Solo Murakami logra describir de forma tan acertada la personalidad de los gatos， y mantener una conversación con ellos， uno de verdad siente que está tratando con un felino。 Reflexiones muy profundas， personajes muy peculiares。 Quizás el final no es el que uno espera， queda la sensación de que algo se pierde， pero como a Excelente libro， no por nada catalogado uno de los mejores de Murakami。 Las emociones tan intensas que describe a lo largo del libro logran llegar a uno de forma impresionante。 Solo Murakami logra describir de forma tan acertada la personalidad de los gatos， y mantener una conversación con ellos， uno de verdad siente que está tratando con un felino。 Reflexiones muy profundas， personajes muy peculiares。 Quizás el final no es el que uno espera， queda la sensación de que algo se pierde， pero como algunos lo comentan allí reside la verdadera genialidad， en dejarnos frente a nuestra mente racional acostumbrada a dramas sencillos y lineales que por mas enredos terminen siempre como uno quiere。 No es este el caso， seguramente a no muchos agrade eso。 En sí la novela tiene un buen ritmo y mantiene la emoción y el suspenso vigentes。 Increíble lo que pasa entre Kafka y la señora Saeki y como el ritmo del libro y las circunstancias permiten que uno lo acepte sin mayores inconvenientes。 El buen señor Nakata y su fiel compañero Hoshino， como modernos y japoneses Quijote y Sancho。 Increíble el poder que logra tener la música sobre Hoshino， el trío del Archiduque de Beethoven lo eleva a ser una mejor persona。 Oshima， ese indefinido ser pero a la vez tan simpático y carismático， logra ganarse el afecto y admiración en seguida。 Siempre fiel a Kafka， hace las veces de mentor， guía， hermano mayor， confesor。 Sin duda uno de los personajes mejor logrados del libro。 Sus frases sobre la música y la filosofía de verdad se disfrutan。 Buenas referencias a la cultura de Japón en especial a su comida， y sus diversas regiones。 En realidad un entretenido viaje cultural， musical y gastronómico por este mundo y el "otro mundo"。 Definitivamente un excelente libro 。。。more
Kat
，
a puzzle where every misshapen piece will inevitably find its place- and all you must do is watch。
Erin Kim
，
Haruki writes beautifully and came highly recommended by a friend。 I appreciate his writing style， but I don’t think his work is for me。 It took me a long time to get through the book partly due to the one intensely gruesome chapter。 I’ve never read anything quite like his work。 The mystics/dreamland and reality interweaving was captivating and made me want to read through to the end。
Terry
，
very weird but good
Megan Peery
，
I have never read anything like this。 I don’t even know where to begin。 I definitely liked how unique and random it was。 This book followed no rules！！！ This is why I love reading， you never know what to expect！
Aziz
，
رواية غريبة وجميلة جداً اجبرتني ان التهم صفحاتها في غضون ٣ ايام، رحلة في الادب الياباني الذي لم تكن لدي فكرة عنه。رواية غريبة جداً اشخاص يتكلمون مع القطط سماءٌ تمطر سمكاً جنود في الغابة منذ الحرب العالمية الثانية。بالرغم من اعجابي الشديد بالرواية الا انه توجد كم معلومة ناقصة فيه او بالاحرى استفسارات:كيف كانت حياة كافكا خلال معيشته مع والده؟ لماذا هجرته امه؟ من اين هذا الحقد على والده؟هل كان جوني والكر والده؟ وما هي الحادثة التي جرت مع كافكا ليلة مقتل والده؟هل صاحبة المكتبة كانت آنسة ناكاتا في الطف رواية غريبة وجميلة جداً اجبرتني ان التهم صفحاتها في غضون ٣ ايام، رحلة في الادب الياباني الذي لم تكن لدي فكرة عنه。رواية غريبة جداً اشخاص يتكلمون مع القطط سماءٌ تمطر سمكاً جنود في الغابة منذ الحرب العالمية الثانية。بالرغم من اعجابي الشديد بالرواية الا انه توجد كم معلومة ناقصة فيه او بالاحرى استفسارات:كيف كانت حياة كافكا خلال معيشته مع والده؟ لماذا هجرته امه؟ من اين هذا الحقد على والده؟هل كان جوني والكر والده؟ وما هي الحادثة التي جرت مع كافكا ليلة مقتل والده؟هل صاحبة المكتبة كانت آنسة ناكاتا في الطفولة؟ وهل هي ام كافكا؟ من هي ساكورا؟ هل تمت بصلة ل كافكا ؟الرواية ٦٠٠ صفحة لكن حبذا لو كانت اكتر من كثر جمالها。 منا يفقد شيئًا عزيزًا عليه، فرصًا، إمكانيات، مشاعر لا يمكننا استعادتها أبدًا。 كل هذا جزء من معنى كوننا نعيش。 ولكن في داخل رؤوسنا أو هذا ما أتصوّره أنا نخزن الذكريات في غرفة صغيرة هناك。 غرفة كالرفوف في هذه المكتبة، ولنعي الأعمال التي كتبتها قلوبنا، علينا أن نصنفها وننظمها ببطاقات، ونزيل عنها العبار من حين لآخر، ونجدد لها الهواء ونغير الماء في اواني الزهور، بكلمات أخرى، ستعيش إلى الأبد في مكتبتك الخاصة بك""مع كل فجر جديد لا يكون العالم نفسه، ولا تكون انت الشخص نفسه""ان عدم القراءة يجعل الحياة صعبة"«أن الأشياء التي تحدث لنا في حياتنا مكتوبة في حياتنا السابقة، وأنه حتى في أصغر الأشياء لا وجود للصدفة»。«يجب أن تنظر»، أمر جوني واكر ناكاتا。 «وهذه قاعدة أخرى من قواعدنا。 إغماض العينين لن يغير في شيء。 لا شيء سيختفي لمجرد أنك لا تريد أن تراه。 بل، ستجد أن الأمر ازداد سوءًا في المرة التالية التي تنظر فيها。 هذا هو العالم الذي نحيا فيه。 أبق عينيك مفتوحتين على وسعهما。 الجبان فقط هو من يغمض عينيه。 إغماض عينيك وسد أذنيك لن يوقف الزمن»。 。。。more
La，A
，
weirdest book i have read weird in a disgusting way but also weird as in ‘weird’ and as in ‘what the hell is going on’
Laura Ayala
，
Esta obra es impactante， no solo por la descripción de los personas principales y de sus sucesos diarios， sino también por los aspectos psicológicos que aborda。 La capacidad del escritor para narrar aspectos como el estudio de la conciencia， reflejando el ello， el yo y así finalmente la descripción del super yo， trae automáticamente referencias como Freud y el estudio del análisis psíquico del ser。 Es una lectura larga y a la vez sencilla de abordar por sus capítulos cortos， totalmente reflexiva Esta obra es impactante， no solo por la descripción de los personas principales y de sus sucesos diarios， sino también por los aspectos psicológicos que aborda。 La capacidad del escritor para narrar aspectos como el estudio de la conciencia， reflejando el ello， el yo y así finalmente la descripción del super yo， trae automáticamente referencias como Freud y el estudio del análisis psíquico del ser。 Es una lectura larga y a la vez sencilla de abordar por sus capítulos cortos， totalmente reflexiva e interesante。 。。。more
Benta
，
hmmm mixed feelings
Ramya
，
I have to admit; I just didn't understand it。 My intellect was not ready for this magical realism。 I am hopeful that sometime in the future， I will reread it and find out the deeper meanings hidden。 Till then， three stars。 I have to admit; I just didn't understand it。 My intellect was not ready for this magical realism。 I am hopeful that sometime in the future， I will reread it and find out the deeper meanings hidden。 Till then， three stars。 。。。more
MRS
，
So magical。 I heard that BTS RM recommend this book and as an army it was my duty to read it。 My favorite character was oshima and nakata。 It was a type of book which was not teaching you something but showing you many things。 Reading this book was like walking on path without knowing it's destination but still enjoying the journey。 So magical。 I heard that BTS RM recommend this book and as an army it was my duty to read it。 My favorite character was oshima and nakata。 It was a type of book which was not teaching you something but showing you many things。 Reading this book was like walking on path without knowing it's destination but still enjoying the journey。 。。。more
Luisa
，
the way he writes woman is horrendous。 everything else is well written。
Vamsi Krishna
，
The best of all Murakami's works。 Just enjoy the journey！ The best of all Murakami's works。 Just enjoy the journey！ 。。。more
Helene
，
Pas tout compris de ce monde métaphorique， surréel voire spirituel ？ Mais c'était très beau et déroutant。。。"Plus les gens avancent dans la vie， plus ils font la différence entre ce qui est important et ce qui ne l'est pas。" Pas tout compris de ce monde métaphorique， surréel voire spirituel ？ Mais c'était très beau et déroutant。。。"Plus les gens avancent dans la vie， plus ils font la différence entre ce qui est important et ce qui ne l'est pas。" 。。。more
Mariam Farooq
，
I have way too many questions…！
abdallah assulaiman
，
absolutely great from start to finish， it’s compelling， entertaining， and has good morals to it， it’s like avatar， but it’s for an older audience and it’s about zuko and a senile iroh who never meet who live in early 21st century japan， oh and also it’s a book， and i really love how murakami writes his prose and how everything has a payoff， it’s genius
nero！
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 second book by Murakami， and now i’m starting to see the appeal。 glad this was the book that （started &） ended my 1-2 month reading slump， almost。as for the book: eerily heartwarming。 the way i understood it was depicting young peoples’ struggles with their own existence in a surreal， post-modern， greek tragedy type of way。 i can definitely appreciate its message， as someone who’s nearing a new chapter of his life — this is pretty relieving to read。 mr。 hoshino is definitely the MVP。4。5/5
BonjulenOutReadYou
，
Da non leggere ad alta voce in salotto
Cristiana
，
4 stelle solo per nakata e hoshino
Georgia Correia
，