Kafka on the Shore follows the fortunes of two remarkable characters. 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. Their parallel odysseys are enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerising dramas. Cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghostlike pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since WWII. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle. Murakami's novel is at once a classic quest, but it is also a bold exploration of mythic and contemporary taboos, of patricide, of mother-love, of sister-love. Above all it is an entertainment of a very high order.
| ISBN | 0099458322 | | Pages | 512 | | ISBN13 | 9780099458326
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 358 | | Publisher | Vintage | | Published in | London | | Imprint | Vintage | | Height (mm) | 198 | | Format | Paperback | | Width (mm) | 129 | | Publication date | 06 Oct 2005 | | Spine width (mm) | 32 | | DEWEY | 895.6355 | | Academic level | General | | DEWEY edition | DC21 | |
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Surreal and fascinating adventure, whether it be mackerel falling from the sky or the ability to talk to cats the author manages to capture human emotions such as love and loss in a new and contemporary way. The story is profoundly entertaining touching and leaves you eager for more Murakami. -
Kevin Ronson
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The Boy Named Crow "So you're all set for money, then?" the boy named Crow asks in his characteristic sluggish voice. The kind of voice you have when you've just woken up and your mouth still feels heavy and dull. But he's just pretending. He's totally awake. As always.
I nod.
"How much?"
I review the numbers in my head. "Close to ¥400,000 in cash, plus some money I can get from an ATM. I know it's not a lot, but it should be enough. For the time being."
"Not bad," the boy named Crow says. "For the time being."
I give him another nod. (read more)
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