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Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Vintage)
I often wonder how much I miss out when I read a book that has been translated into English, especially one that has been translated from Japanese.
However, I get the feeling that the translated Murakami novels I have read are not too far from the original, especially considering that Murakami is a translator himself.
So, when I read Kafka on the Shore, Murakami’s 2002 novel, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
The story is about a Japanese teenager, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home. He eventually settles in Takamatsu, where he befriends Oshima, another troubled teenager who works in the town’s celebrated library.
The library becomes Kafka’s refuge, and as an avid reader, he soon becomes enveloped in the books and quiet serenity of the Komura Memorial Library, and begins to work as an assistant there.
As time passes, Kafka also becomes intrigued by the library’s history, and it’s enigmatic manager, Miss Saeki, a beautiful middle-aged woman with a broken heart.
As Kafka’s interest in Miss Saeki evolves into an obsession, he becomes absorbed into the past, and a world behind a picture frame, while trying to remain unnoticed as a teenage fugitive.
The story is characteristically bizarre, with the addition of several other characters in the consistently alternating narrative. These characters include Hoshino, the apathetic truck driver, and Nakata, the humble old man who cannot read or write, but can converse with cats.
As with other Murakami novels I have read, like Norwegian Wood, this story has an underlying sense of sadness, as it deals vividly with the intensity of human experiences.
The story also explores the complexity of relationships; music, dreams, and that even the most unexpected experiences can form part of a greater plan.
Similar to the legend of Oedipus, Kafka on the Shore is also a story of trying to escape fate, but that ultimately, things fall into place for the characters of the novel to ensure that they fulfil their destiny, despite the outcome.
You can read more of Jenna's ramblings on her blog, over here.
Keen on reading this book? Click here to get your copy.
Have you read Kafka on the Shore yet? Share your thoughts on it in the comment box below.
Sign up for women24's book club newsletter and stand a chance to win our top ten books from Kalahari.net as well as a case of wine from Perdeberg.
I often wonder how much I miss out when I read a book that has been translated into English, especially one that has been translated from Japanese.
However, I get the feeling that the translated Murakami novels I have read are not too far from the original, especially considering that Murakami is a translator himself.
So, when I read Kafka on the Shore, Murakami’s 2002 novel, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
The story is about a Japanese teenager, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home. He eventually settles in Takamatsu, where he befriends Oshima, another troubled teenager who works in the town’s celebrated library.
The library becomes Kafka’s refuge, and as an avid reader, he soon becomes enveloped in the books and quiet serenity of the Komura Memorial Library, and begins to work as an assistant there.
As time passes, Kafka also becomes intrigued by the library’s history, and it’s enigmatic manager, Miss Saeki, a beautiful middle-aged woman with a broken heart.
As Kafka’s interest in Miss Saeki evolves into an obsession, he becomes absorbed into the past, and a world behind a picture frame, while trying to remain unnoticed as a teenage fugitive.
The story is characteristically bizarre, with the addition of several other characters in the consistently alternating narrative. These characters include Hoshino, the apathetic truck driver, and Nakata, the humble old man who cannot read or write, but can converse with cats.
As with other Murakami novels I have read, like Norwegian Wood, this story has an underlying sense of sadness, as it deals vividly with the intensity of human experiences.
The story also explores the complexity of relationships; music, dreams, and that even the most unexpected experiences can form part of a greater plan.
Similar to the legend of Oedipus, Kafka on the Shore is also a story of trying to escape fate, but that ultimately, things fall into place for the characters of the novel to ensure that they fulfil their destiny, despite the outcome.
You can read more of Jenna's ramblings on her blog, over here.
Keen on reading this book? Click here to get your copy.
Have you read Kafka on the Shore yet? Share your thoughts on it in the comment box below.
Sign up for women24's book club newsletter and stand a chance to win our top ten books from Kalahari.net as well as a case of wine from Perdeberg.
