Kafka on the Shore
2026-04-05
I had once mentioned in passing to some others that I had planned to write a short story. I described my vision in brief detail, and one of my friends pointed out that it sounded very “Murakami-esqe”. I had heard the name of Murakami before, but hadn’t actually read anything by him. Then, one day, the same friend lent me his copy of Kafka on the Shore for me to read (thanks!). I have since read the book (in a considerably short time, might I add) but I have now gotten around to writing down my thoughts about the book a few weeks down the line.
The book is supremely readable, which I assume is due to both Haruki Murakami as well as the English translator, Philip Gabriel. It reads very smoothly to a modern audience and takes great care to illustrate the world that Murakami has created. The writing is ethereal in nature and takes great care in describing both noun and verb. Every setting is meticulously built up to create a full-feeling world. Every small twitch or idiosyncrasy of a character’s mannerisms are described in detail.
Things happen in Kafka on the Shore without much clear motivation. The absurdist nature of the book can be shocking at times, with seemingly arbitrary plot choices being inserted at will. There is also little elaboration upon these events apart from the description of the situation, which make it all the more confusing as to what Murakami is insinuating. Fish falling from the sky is something you just have to accept.
I saw Kafka on the Shore as a sort of “deterministic” book. There are certain prophecies that must take place, actions that must be performed in a specific way, and very odd things that need to happen in the name of achieving this end goal. Colonel Sanders often mentions that things need to happen out of neccessity. Not as if they are the most correct action to do, but simply they need to happen. You do not know the end goal of all this so called “forcing” of fate, or are let into what/who is orchestrating all of this madness. Depending on one’s view of things, this could be the work of God, or it could be be a nebulous, vague presumption of how the universe is.
Kafka’s oedipal curse is another one of these fates that must take place. Kafka always seems to mention a strange force that steers the will of things towards fulfilling this prophecy. As a plot device, I found it to be overly crude and sexual. It interupts the flow of the book by inserting graphic sexual scenes in an otherwise quaint Japanese setting. You’ll read through a section describing the happenings at a small Japanese library, and then a few paragraphs down the line, some sexual dream that Kafka had will be explained in full detail. It definately irked me and took some enjoyment out of the book.
I really liked Nakata as a character. The dynamic between Hoshino and Nakata I found to be very indearing. They have very terse yet funny dialogue together. Neither of these characters beat around the bush: they tell it like it is.
In conclusion, I both liked and disliked the book. The absurdist nature of the book wasn’t something I found to be too appealing (this is probably a subjective reason), but it was nonetheless interesting to read.