Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
While reading this book, I can assure you that this is not like other books; be it realistic or fantastical. Unlike in other novels which will take you through a well-defined path, give you a certain meaning, where all the events and interpretations tend to converge in to one, you won’t find that in this book.
Here symbolism is at its peak and here everything seems a metaphor. And that exactly what it tries to be; a metaphorical journey, where unexplainable or unreal incidents try to vaguely give you a clue about its metaphor. After completing this book, you will feel like floating in a dream as a whole, without any specific interpretations of things happening here. Sure enough, you’ll get some idea about what it is about, you’ll not be confident; because Murakami wants you not to feel confident about anything’s meaning in the book.
Sardine rain, leech rain, talking stone and cats, entrance to a semi-real-metaphysical-afterlife world, a man-woman mixed sex, this kind of weird things will come across while reading the novel.
I’ll try to share my musing on few such incidents here : [You need to read the novel to understand the following]
Sardine rain: This thing happens just after killing of cats. Cats love Sardines, so raining sardines may symbolize Nakata’s sympathy for those killed cats.
Leech rain: To explain parasitic nature of the tormentors at the parking lot.
Kafka: It means crow in Czech, which also indicates to ‘the boy named crow’ , the inner soul of our protagonist, who lives through multiple times and falls in love with same women twice, first as lover, second as son.
Kafka on the shore: The portrait inspired by which Miss, Saeki writes a wonderful song (named Kafka on the Shore), that prophesied events that will occur later on the novel.
Entrance Stone: A metaphorical gate through which Kafka connects to his mom/lover even after her death, an afterlife world.
Mixed sex: To give neutrality, because Kafka is utterly confused about sex.
The unconscious children: Refers weirdness of war, where no logic works, same like those children became unconscious without any reason.
As a whole I can say that it is a MAGICAL book. The word ‘spellbinding’ in the blurb is apt. I love Murakami’s style, his twisting plot, weird events, and everything.
ALPHABET SPEAKS 