Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

Kafka Tamura is the most conflicted 15-year-old anyone could ever meet. Escaping his father and a dark Freudian prophecy, he runs away from his home in Tokyo, inexplicably drawn westwards to Shikoku. On his way he meets remarkable individuals, all of whom help him on his journey without intrusively questioning Kafka’s motives. Parallel to Kafka’s journey, we follow the elderly Nakata, a charming old man with a low appreciation for the complexities of life. As a child, Nakata suffered an accident, leaving him unable to read and write to deal with every day tasks, such as financial affairs. Like Kafka, Nakata meets extraordinary people who help him along the ...

Little did I know when I picked up this book in the new category section of my local library that my concept of “ a challenging read” was about to be tested to its limits? I’ve read many classical books in the past and over the years I’ve read a few translations of modern books into English, but until now I’ve never attempted one by a Japanese writer. This book is the latest in a long line of award-winning books by the author, Haruki Murakami. Translated into English by Philip Gabriel, an associate Professor of Japanese at the University of Arizona, “Kafka on the Shore” has already been nominated as one of the best books of 2005 by both the English and New York Times. ...