Fiction

Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the Shore

  • Downloads：1467
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-12 06:54:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Haruki Murakami
  • ISBN：0099458322
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Alternate cover edition here。

Kafka on the Shore， a tour de force of metaphysical reality， is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy， Kafka Tamura， who runs away from home 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。 Their odyssey， as mysterious to them as it is to us， is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events。 Cats and people carry on conversations， a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute， a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II， and rainstorms of fish （and worse） fall from the sky。 There is a brutal murder， with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this， along with everything else， is eventually answered， just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed， with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own。

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Reviews

Filipa ，

Great book， not such a great ending。。。

Sarah alsubaie ，

رواية يابانية في قالب أمريكي ، خاب ظني في الكاتب حقيقةعادة هذا شأن كل الروايات الأكثر مبيعا و الأشهر صيتا مخيبة للآمال 。。！

Neha Mahadik ，

Yep no rules。

Dan Macha ，

I did not expect this book to be as creatively philosophical as it was， but wow。 The novel has a complex and creative plot that's strung together like fine mesh， keeping you absorbed and surprised along the way。 The language is bare， yet Murakami has a talent for manipulating syntax to create meaning and ask questions。 Even though Murakami is Japanese， the book is well-informed by Western philosophy， and it is quite easy to see Murakami's interest in German literature and Western classical music I did not expect this book to be as creatively philosophical as it was， but wow。 The novel has a complex and creative plot that's strung together like fine mesh， keeping you absorbed and surprised along the way。 The language is bare， yet Murakami has a talent for manipulating syntax to create meaning and ask questions。 Even though Murakami is Japanese， the book is well-informed by Western philosophy， and it is quite easy to see Murakami's interest in German literature and Western classical music。 Kafka on the Shore had the rare ability to immerse me in the novel， make me feel as though Kafka and Nakata were an extension of myself。 Something I've lost along the way as a reader， and like Kafka and Nakata， I'm glad to have found it again。 。。。more

Sara S。 ，

My deepest apologies to all Murakami fans， but this was aggressively average。 That’s it， that’s the review。

Sultana M。 Yildiz ，

It was magical and hypnotizing， but I strongly hate the incest part。 It was disgusting。 That's why I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5。 It was magical and hypnotizing， but I strongly hate the incest part。 It was disgusting。 That's why I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5。 。。。more

Natalia ，

Nakata pasó a ser parte de mi， ahora yo también estoy en ese cuadro divisando el horizonte y escuchando el ir y venir de las olas del mar。 Ahora también me acordaré de la señora Saeki。 Ahora siento diferente， ahora la música me llega a lo más profundo de mi corazón。 Ahora me adentraré en mi propio laberinto y me convertiré en la mujer de 22 años más fuerte del mundo。 Nakata became a part of me， now I am also in that painting， seeing the horizon and listening to the coming and going of the waves Nakata pasó a ser parte de mi， ahora yo también estoy en ese cuadro divisando el horizonte y escuchando el ir y venir de las olas del mar。 Ahora también me acordaré de la señora Saeki。 Ahora siento diferente， ahora la música me llega a lo más profundo de mi corazón。 Ahora me adentraré en mi propio laberinto y me convertiré en la mujer de 22 años más fuerte del mundo。 Nakata became a part of me， now I am also in that painting， seeing the horizon and listening to the coming and going of the waves of the sea。 Now I will also remember you Mrs。 Saeki， now I feel different， now the music reaches the depths of my heart。 Now I will enter my own labyrinth and become the strongest 22-year-old woman in the world。 。。。more

uen ，

i love it

Rue ，

Not my cup of tea。 I was very grossed out by the weird sexual kinks。 This book just leaves you hanging

Firdaus Samad ，

Murakami's work is bizarre， absurd， has cliffhangers， but a must-read。 I remember reading Norwegian Woods and feeling like a mad person for few days as I wasn't being able to comprehend reality from magic in it。 And this is what happened with this book too。 Kafka Tamura- a 15 years old runaway， is trying to escape a gruesome prophecy。 He is in search of his mother and sister as well。 On the other hand， there's an old man Nakata who's rather dumb but sweet。 Their fate is destined to intertwine in Murakami's work is bizarre， absurd， has cliffhangers， but a must-read。 I remember reading Norwegian Woods and feeling like a mad person for few days as I wasn't being able to comprehend reality from magic in it。 And this is what happened with this book too。 Kafka Tamura- a 15 years old runaway， is trying to escape a gruesome prophecy。 He is in search of his mother and sister as well。 On the other hand， there's an old man Nakata who's rather dumb but sweet。 Their fate is destined to intertwine in absurd ways。 There are talking cats， raining fishes and leeches， Colonel Sanders as a pimp， and unaging soldiers from WWII in a forest。 Are these reasons not enough for you to pick this book up？ There are several references to Greek mythology， Beethoven's music， and some literary masterpieces。 There's a huge library around which the story revolves and God that made me drool over it。 I was in that library with Kafka the whole time。 Now that I mentioned the library， Oshima， the library's receptionist is my favorite character from this book after Nakata。 If you are searching for answers don't read this book I say。 But if you want to sway in the trance of magical realism then give Murakami a shot。 His work is not any simple work。 It is a feeling， a state of mind。 It is only after reading Franz Kafka's work that you understand the word 'Kafkaesque'。 Similarly， it is only after you read a Murakami book that you will understand what magical realism feels like as its best。 If I haven't convinced you to read this yet， I have failed miserably。 。。。more

Ăhmąd Elägamy ，

لم تكن مجرد رواية ⁦:-*⁩ بل كانت ملحمة ☺️

Nivi Selvaraj ，

My first Murakami book！ An absolute pleasure to read his work。

Andi Grayson ，

I really don't know what to think of this book。 It's kind of like Infinite Jest where you have to google what actually happened in the book after you read it， but it seems like a ton of stuff is very open to interpretation， whereas in Infinite Jest the online explanation of the plot seems to be the correct one （probably because Infinite Jest is not in the magical realism genre）。 So yes， Kafka on the Shore is magical realism， which kind of explains all the mystical stuff that goes on， but I like I really don't know what to think of this book。 It's kind of like Infinite Jest where you have to google what actually happened in the book after you read it， but it seems like a ton of stuff is very open to interpretation， whereas in Infinite Jest the online explanation of the plot seems to be the correct one （probably because Infinite Jest is not in the magical realism genre）。 So yes， Kafka on the Shore is magical realism， which kind of explains all the mystical stuff that goes on， but I like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism much more because it's less open to interpretation and there is an actual solid plot in there that I don't need to Google afterwards。 Murakami is very good at creating a magical world in his books with hints of the other-worldly。 His settings kind of remind me of a video game world， where things are self-contained in a mystical bubble。 For example， the main character， Kafka Tamura， reminds me of a video game character in a video-game world who is on a mission to complete his quest。 I like this aspect of Murakami's books， and I always get drawn in because of the whimsical characters and the world-building。 But then half-way through the book it gets too convoluted for me to follow and the rest of the book drags because I can't follow the plot。 A short summary of the plot is that Kafka is a 15 year old boy who runs away from home。 He is on a "hero's journey" that resembles the Oedipal quest。 He doesn't know his mother or his sister but his father tells him it is prophesied that he will kill his father， and sleep with his mother and sister。 At the same time， an old man named Nakata goes on a similar type of quest with his young side-kick Hoshino。 Both Nakata and Kafka are drawn to the island of Shikoku， why they cannot say。 One of the main settings in the book is the library in Shikoku， and I liked the description of this kind of magical library in Shikoku where Kafka ends up working and meeting his fellow co-workers， Miss Saeki and Oshima。 Like I said， Murakami is very good at setting up ordinary places with magical elements， and it is this part of the book that I liked。 I just couldn't get into the plot because I really had no idea what was going on until I googled it。 Now that I understand more the symbolism I can appreciate the book more; I actually think it's one of those books you need to read twice， the second time after you've found out what actually happened so you have more of an idea of what you're reading。 。。。more

Sadie ，

It was good and I never want to read it again。

Marie ，

I loved it， even though Murakami's constant references to European culture is annoying， and the scene in the library between Oshima and the feminists was one of the stupidest exchange I have ever read in my entire life。Someone like Oshima irl would have definitely sided w these women and would care about accessibility， security and representation。Instead， he uses the fact that he has a vagina to contradict arguments that would protect him in real life。Only a cishet man could write such bullshit I loved it， even though Murakami's constant references to European culture is annoying， and the scene in the library between Oshima and the feminists was one of the stupidest exchange I have ever read in my entire life。Someone like Oshima irl would have definitely sided w these women and would care about accessibility， security and representation。Instead， he uses the fact that he has a vagina to contradict arguments that would protect him in real life。Only a cishet man could write such bullshit w such confidence。 。。。more

Joan B ，

Lots to think about and enjoy in this book。 Some beautiful writing and much to investigate and ponder on。

Eslam Mohamed ，

This review is for me， myself and I When I first read this book， I was so excited to read another Murakami book since I only read one and I liked it a lot I thought this would ve like the first one but it's widely different。 My favorite character was Oshima a person anyone including myself wishes to be his friend。I like this book This review is for me， myself and I When I first read this book， I was so excited to read another Murakami book since I only read one and I liked it a lot I thought this would ve like the first one but it's widely different。 My favorite character was Oshima a person anyone including myself wishes to be his friend。I like this book 。。。more

Eleonora Stella ，

I think I need a break from reading now。 To really let this story sink in。 My brain hurts a bit from trying to make sense of everything in it。 But maybe it’s a waste of time， trying to make sense of it。 Maybe that’s the whole point？ Anyway super weird but interesting book。 Can’t really explain it， you gotta read it yourself to understand。

Tyler Austin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "Everything is a metaphor。"― Haruki Murakami， Kafka on the Shore I think it might be impossible to fully digest Kafka on the Shore。 The story is pretty unpredictable and surreal from beginning to end。 The events that unfold do leave a lot of unanswered questions， but that's putting it lightly。 Some things in this book just downright don't make sense， but it is my belief that Murakami wanted the readers to use their own imagination to draw meaning from the surrealism。 That's the power of metaphor "Everything is a metaphor。"― Haruki Murakami， Kafka on the Shore I think it might be impossible to fully digest Kafka on the Shore。 The story is pretty unpredictable and surreal from beginning to end。 The events that unfold do leave a lot of unanswered questions， but that's putting it lightly。 Some things in this book just downright don't make sense， but it is my belief that Murakami wanted the readers to use their own imagination to draw meaning from the surrealism。 That's the power of metaphor， but where one draws the line between metaphor and utter nonsense may be the difference between a good review and bad review。 “But metaphors help eliminate what separates you and me。”― Haruki Murakami， Kafka on the Shore This a good review， though。 Metaphor is the language of exploring the ineffable and Murakami is not shy in his own expressions。 The story in simple terms is about a runaway boy named Kafka （but that's not his real name） trying to escape a curse his father has impressed on him since he was little。 In his escape， he stumbles upon a small private library in Takamatsu， where he is sheltered by the librarian and her assistant。 Meanwhile， Nakata， an aged simpleton with the unique ability to talk to cats， is on a noir-like hunt for a family's missing cat。 The hunt leads him to a mysterious evil that takes the form of different commercial product mascots， and Nakata eventually finds himself to be part of a much greater plot。。。 even though he doesn't quite understand it himself。 In the end， the two character arcs come full circle， and I was pretty satisfied， but I don't think every reader will be。 I highly recommend this book。 Don't feel cheated by the ending。 It's all a metaphor。 。。。more

Ella ，

4。5 starsA wild ride from cover to cover。 I think a fair amount of symbolism went over my head， but a far larger portion really sunk in and made this book a read that I will never forget。 I am still a little confused and will most likely have to read multiple articles analyzing the book to truly understand everything， but even without the total understanding， this book has given me something indescribable and taught me that it's okay to not be able to put that feeling into words。 Undeniably ther 4。5 starsA wild ride from cover to cover。 I think a fair amount of symbolism went over my head， but a far larger portion really sunk in and made this book a read that I will never forget。 I am still a little confused and will most likely have to read multiple articles analyzing the book to truly understand everything， but even without the total understanding， this book has given me something indescribable and taught me that it's okay to not be able to put that feeling into words。 Undeniably there are some extremely problematic parts of this book ranging from potential incest to murder to self harm。 However， despite the moments that truly made me cringe， I couldn't put the book down。 Ironic， considering it took me around two months to actually finish， but still true。 Despite the sex and gore， it's a magical story that captivated me the entire way through。 It's a book about humanity。 It's about finding ourselves and saying goodbye and following our destiny。 It's about growing to be okay with our place in the universe。 We get to watch growth in multiple ways and we get to feel it taking root within ourselves as we read。 I understand the people who couldn't get over the oedipal fantasies/realities and the people who say Murakami's prose is unnecessarily long， but the meanings of this story overrides it all。 Besides， his writing is beautiful。 This is one of the books that made me change how I think about life。 It truly is masterfully created and leaves you wanting more， yet with just enough to walk away feeling fulfilled。 "You are part of a brand-new world。" 。。。more

Piyush Rana ，

The ending！ The ending！ The ending！ Is it open-ended or what？ I'll have difficult time forgiving the author about the ending or maybe I'm not just used to this kind of ending。 There were no closures for side characters and I was pretty bumped about it。 I felt it was little rushed during the end。 The calibre this story carried was different when it started but eventually it didn't do justice to it。 The ending！ The ending！ The ending！ Is it open-ended or what？ I'll have difficult time forgiving the author about the ending or maybe I'm not just used to this kind of ending。 There were no closures for side characters and I was pretty bumped about it。 I felt it was little rushed during the end。 The calibre this story carried was different when it started but eventually it didn't do justice to it。 。。。more

Marnie ，

Over 400 pagesof the most bizarre bookI have ever read but for some reasonI felt compelled t of see it through to the end！ I don’t even know what to say about it because I’m sure I don’t have the slightest clue as to what the story was trying to say but nevertheless I enjoyed the characters， the history， and the flow of the writing。 Wish I was smart enough to understand the many layers that surely must be about something！ 5 stars， yup！

Itzel ，

Deeply good， this book thrust out its hand from its pages and grabbed me by the throat， could do without the embarrassing moments of blatant sexism。

George Doumat ，

This book is too good to reviewOne of my favorites for sure

Divya Adil ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It took me a hundred pages or so to really get into the story。 But once I did， it was so captivating that I could not put it down。 The plot was quite absurd， making it difficult to predict what would happen next， but still very deep， thought-provoking and gripping。The metaphors in the novel are so beautiful and clever。 I especially liked the part towards the end when he leaves behind "fear" and is making his way through the labyrinth （the forest） while he tries to traverse the maze of emotions a It took me a hundred pages or so to really get into the story。 But once I did， it was so captivating that I could not put it down。 The plot was quite absurd， making it difficult to predict what would happen next， but still very deep， thought-provoking and gripping。The metaphors in the novel are so beautiful and clever。 I especially liked the part towards the end when he leaves behind "fear" and is making his way through the labyrinth （the forest） while he tries to traverse the maze of emotions about being abandoned that he had avoided resolving till then。P。S。 Listening to Beethoven's Archduke trio made me relate to what Hoshino felt。 The melody felt sad and happy and hopeful at the same time。 “But when I listen to this music， it’s like Beethoven’s right here talking to me， telling me something like， it’s ok， Hoshino， don’t worry about it。 That’s life。 I’ve done some pretty awful things in my life too。 Not much you can do about it。 Things happen。 You just got to hang in there。” 。。。more

Grim Svensson ，

Terrific！ Especially enjoyed Nakatas story。

Miguel ，

"（。。。） ¿Por qué luchará la gente？ ¿Por qué cientos de miles， por qué millones de individuos tendrán que matar en masa a los individuos del bando opuesto？ ¿La guerra nace de la ira o del miedo？ Tal vez la ira y el miedo no sean más que dos facetas diferentes de un mismo espíritu。 （。。。）": Haruki Murakami （Kafka en la orilla） "（。。。） ¿Por qué luchará la gente？ ¿Por qué cientos de miles， por qué millones de individuos tendrán que matar en masa a los individuos del bando opuesto？ ¿La guerra nace de la ira o del miedo？ Tal vez la ira y el miedo no sean más que dos facetas diferentes de un mismo espíritu。 （。。。）": Haruki Murakami （Kafka en la orilla） 。。。more

Niki ，

reading this was a weird experience in the best way possible

Dana ，

very eccentric， a very enjoyable read

Ben ，

This was a weirdly captivating read， despite the pretty loose， almost improvisational plotting。 Murakami creates an intriguing atmosphere that doesn't attempt to over-explain the weirder elements （raining sardines， abstract Colonel Sanders， demonic cat eaters）， although there's definitely a lack of subtlety when it comes to his themes。 The countless moments where characters will just outright comment on how things seem to be metaphors， or make implicit parallels explicit， did get on my nerves so This was a weirdly captivating read， despite the pretty loose， almost improvisational plotting。 Murakami creates an intriguing atmosphere that doesn't attempt to over-explain the weirder elements （raining sardines， abstract Colonel Sanders， demonic cat eaters）， although there's definitely a lack of subtlety when it comes to his themes。 The countless moments where characters will just outright comment on how things seem to be metaphors， or make implicit parallels explicit， did get on my nerves somewhat， but the worst parts were definitely the pretentious mini-reviews of albums， movies and books that Murakami puts into the mouths of his characters to flex his intellectualism。 Also， wtf is going on with the underage Oedipal stuff？ I get that the age of consent is 13 in Japan but Jesus。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kafka on the Shore

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kafka on the Shore&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kafka on the Shore&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0