Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami

★★★☆☆|☆☆
"If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets"
Intro 0:00
Summary 0:09
Review 0:54
Perspective and intellectualisms 2:15
Spoiler thing 4:05
Title mentions 7:28
Trans representation 8:05
Ending 8:25
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[@noshow]

i am not convinced that she really is his mother. i think they are both filling in as surrogates for people the others have lost, but are not actually those people.

[@rotas7472]

It is a plausible theory

[@bhavishyapawarrajgarhia23]

That's what i think, just like Nakata was a substitute for Kafka when he had to kill his father to fulfill the prophecy, Sakura wasn't his sister but just a substitute, someone sister like and Miss Saeki wasn't mother but just a substitute. It was all in a way to fulfill prophecy where he thinks of them as his sister or mother but at the same time, uncertain about it have sex with them. It somehow fulfills the prophecy.

[@Funkbutterfly]

Haha yes, an interesting theory. But actually!

[@LifestyleofBeauty]

When the entrance stone is open, you can bounce around in dreams/realms to occupy bodies as living spirits. I think it was the body of Ms. Saeki, but not the spirit of her. Her spirit was stuck at 15 when she opened the portal and wrecked havoc on everyones life. LOLOLOLOL!!! It's a lot to think about.

[@mithileshsingh8051]

U just depicted my thoughts into a comment

[@lupindraws]

hey hey hey. I just finished reading this book and I had read a few of his works in the past... I can understand your revulsion. I think the reason I could keep reading and thoroughly enjoy the book is that 1. it's not outright confirmed that she is his mum (although she could possibly be) and 2. I feel like a lot of characters, plot points and various things were metaphorical and metaphysical, spiritual and otherwise. Things weren't always how they appear. I am still picking apart my thoughts on the book but so far I think that Johnnie Walker represents death, destruction and chaos (almost like a trickster spirit) and Colonel Sanders might represent hedonism; lust, want, plenty etc. I feel that Kafka's dad might have died when he was struck by lightning (or had his soul split - similarly to Nakata) then his body was inhabited by the Johnnie Walker entity. I think Kafka was Miss Saeki's original lover, the one in the painting. The boy who died at 20. I think her 'punishment' or 'curse' for having opened the gateway to the spirit world (or whatever it is) that she mentions at some point, was having her son, born of herself and Johnnie Walker spirit be a reincarnation of her former lover (how cruel!). Thus, she abandoned him when he was 4 (I guess at that point his resemblance to her dead lover would have been apparent). I think she couldn't stand to give platonic love to her son, therefore she tried to leave. This theory also explains why she doesn't ever confirm she is his mum because I guess she isn't really, even though he was born from her, as a re-incarnation he doesn't really hold either parent's DNA (?). I also think (and a few other bloggers have also thought the same) that Nakata's other half of his spirit, his shadow, was the boy named Crow. There's so much else that happens in the book and could be picked over and analysed. Even the fact that he included a trans character is very symbolic. Thinking or our bodies as vessels and husks that can be filled or emptied, often trans people 'disassociate' with their physical selves and I imagine Murakami found this fascinating. My thoughts are all just theories of course, and I have lots more scattered thoughts but telling you about my theory on Miss Saeki I hope explains things regarding the Oedipus part. For me, this was by far his most obscure and bizarre piece of work with so many symbols, metaphors, pieces of storyline and just openended interpretable stuff. I think it requires multiple reading. I don't think its a simple piece of work that can be summed up easily so I understand your review but I would recommend looking up some interpretations or maybe re-reading it with a mind to metaphor. I hope that helps! Wow, didn't mean to make that so long. haaaaaa.

[@idontplayislay9439]

Brilliant!!!

[@zenabsalim9597]

Your review and opinions were by far the best of all, actually better than the video itself where she doesn't much talk about her opinions but the book material majorly only and concentrates more on how the book didn't make any sense to her rather than trying to contemplate how deep, beautiful and vague the book actually is.. The book is vague and beautiful so much so that after reading I forgot most of it but you analysed it great! And the presentaion of your thoughts was absolutely remarkable!! Thanks for your review.. Reading it was worth the time I spent into it!! Gotta ss it :D

[@georgejenkins5186]

Hi just finished the book. Got any thoughts on the whole making of the flute and crow stuff towards the end. Thats the main bit of the book where I truly haven't a clue what's going on

[@rwcc]

I agree with the rest of the comments - What an excellent reading of the book! I would really enjoy hearing your take on the relationship between Nakata / Boy Crow? Crow seemed to me rather a sort of familiar of Kafkas own self - his own will made manifest to push and guide him on. Kafka calls himself "The boy named I" towards the ending chapters of the book, and that to me was a clear reference to The Boy named Crow, and made me think of Crow as an extension of Kafka rather than having anything to do with Nakata. I've never read any of Murakamis works before, but I find this book exceptionally intriguing!

[@abhashjha7448]

Thanks for the review, also according to my theory , the white thingy that came out of nakata's mouth was Johnnie Walker in some sort of a spiritual form. As it was once mentioned in the book that that thing guided nakata to do some things which he wouldn't do...which fits the plot of the book.

[@Arjunakapichu]

I know who I relate to the most. It's Nakata, I ain't so bright and I talk to cats.

[@frankfeldman6657]

what captured me was its dreamlike quality. for me, it doesn't hang together, but precisely in the way dreams don't. and i found that an astonishing achievement.

[@hillary6800]

Frank Feldman bruh truee

[@ankitachakraborty137]

Absolutely agree.

[@ericstrohbehn6619]

Spoiler: My interpretation was that Kafka was the reincarnation of miss saeki's boyfriend, and came into being by some supernatural intervention because of her grief. Near the end, she says the painting, which Oshima said was of her boyfriend, was of Kafka. We aren't told what her boyfriends name was, we also don't know Kafka's name before he chose it. So its possible they're both named Kafka, and mother doesn't refer to biological relation, but the fact that she brought him into being magically.

[@shivamgoswami5350]

Wow man. You could actually like a seperate piece on it. I would love to read it.

[@goreadyreader]

I’m pretty sure we learn the name of her boyfriend was in fact Kafka

[@wtflalit]

@@goreadyreader No! There's no mention of her boyfriend's name there. Except the fact that they both wrote Kafka on the Shore and composed it. The guy in the painting was Mr. Nakata (Saeki said so to Nakata when she asked to burn her writings).

[@yomizzleshabang]

@@wtflalit no we are told that his name is Kafka. Im

[@wtflalit]

@@yomizzleshabang Well, comprehension is a skill and few have the privilege of attaining that. Best of luck.

[@thebrucenasty]

I highly doubt Murakami wrote about classical music to appear intelligent...

[@IAteFire]

I agree, he seems very non-elitist about things, if I recall correctly he basically doesn't write with meaning in mind, it's just things he chooses to include

[@filurenerik1643]

Agreed. You can so cleafrly hear the passion of it when Oshima talks about Schubert!

[@tejeskave00]

My theory on the book what I have just realized: Kafka on the shore is like a dream. When you are in, aka reading the book, it doesn't make any sense, the events follow each other randomly, without any logic, and the end is not really a proper end, the dream just simply ends. But still, it feels magical, and you have a different life feeling, as something really different from anything you have experienced before. After you woke up, aka finished the book, you start to think about it more, and you start to find the connection between the things. And you may not find all the answers for all the questions, but in the end, you solved the dream, and it still stays magical.

[@tomeuamengualadrover6540]

That’s certainly one of the most characteristic aspects of the book! But I think that there is a certain logic that the reader needs to construct throughout the reading.

[@lazio4everinmyheart]

Why is nobody mentioning the extremely graphic torture/murder scenes? That was the one moment that got me looking the other way I had to take a minute to compose myself. Overall an amazing read, still trying to process most of it but I kind of don’t want to it flew by and absorbed me and now it’s eternally flowing in my mind

[@junghoesucc781]

i had to skip a few chapters because of that. it was terrible lol

[@ornleifs]

I absolutely love this one and for me it's a Masterpiece and one of my favorite books. I loved the double storyline and how they strangely connected and the whole mysterious atmosphere of the book just really clicked with me, this was one of those books I really looked forward to continue reading and was just high on love of literature evertime I picked it up. And those scenes in the forrest in the end were fantastic and for me who loves classical music that aspect of Murakami's books are always a wonderful treat for me. The Mom/sister thing I really did not read it as they were his real Mom/sister but more like some standins or surrogates.

[@yuliyabab]

Kafka is the first Murakami novel I've read, so I preface this by saying that I have nothing to compare it to (not that this point matters). I dived into Kafka and was completely absorbed by it from beginning to end. I've never been a fan of magical realism, but the dream-like, poetic web of storytelling had me utterly enchanted. I read it whilst trekking through the Japanese Alps, and could feel myself not only enamored by, but embodying certain traits of each character. Kafka's poignant observations of the world, Nakata's literal, childlike directness, Oshimos philosophical serenity, and Ms Seiki's palpable brokenness. Where dreams and time and self become one and nothing.

[@vinaykale64]

Interesting review! I feel everything in life is surreal after completing the book.

[@clinttonight1914]

I have found that while Murakami is a great pop fiction writer, his readers may attribute more depth than is warranted, thus I don't find his voice to be pretentious or trying to sound super-intellectual. I consider this regard as a by-product of his purposeful ambiguity, which he employs not to overload his descriptions with a myriad of possibilities, but rather to tie together many strings of allure in order to draw a large number of readers. The more bait, the more fish -- that sort of thing. There is a definite plot to this story, and of course a lot of it is obscured with fancy misdirection. But there are very few loose ends, if any. For example the switch between first person and third person narratives (which is mirrored in Nakata's own speech) hides something in plain sight: and that is both lead characters are being influenced by the same adversarial force. Neither character acknowledges this fact, but it accounts for some oddities that may not be otherwise explained. During Kafka's interior dialogue, which when considered a monologue again misdirects the reader, occasionally the text goes bold and more importantly it takes on the second person narrative: *YOU*. This is the voice of the ... let's call it the adversary, just to pin a literary device. The voice of the adversary speaks directly into Kafka's mind, as I suspect it does Nakata's but since Nakata's section is written in the third person we as the reader have no occasion to discern his interior. What we do know is that Nakata seems to know things without knowing how, and he's able to do things other people can't -- which indicates either he is special, or he is guided by special forces. I get the revulsion for Murakami's handling of sex, and you're right -- and it's also the point to be disgusted. It's part of a nefarious scheme. As the novel is a coming-of-age story, the Oedipal Complex is a real psychological process that runs parallel to the actual maturation. What's wonderful about Murakami is his gathering-together of thematic principles across multiple disciplines; here he combines the classic myth with the psychological phenomenon with the literary genre of the bildungsroman -- and sprinkles more genre fiction on top: and that is the anti-christ model. Kafka, for lack of a better word, is an anti-christ whose birth and life were predestined to take a certain path, requiring him to push through several barriers of decisions, each one defining his personality. It is by design that he must make awful choices, which take him down a path to his dread fate. But since he retains agency -- since the rules state that he must CHOOSE to fall -- he can also redeem himself, and that's where the Boy Named Crow comes in. If you track Kafka's sequences involving sex/masturbation, there's always the conspicuous affect of choice and responsibility being brought up. And that's very much on purpose. If it's any consolation, you may notice during the hairier sex moments, the text takes on a different perspective. Also, if it's any consolation it's a very profound statement that follows: Ms Saeki isn't herself either. Murakami's deft writing also purposely dilutes the fiction with meta-fiction, insofar as some characters are occasionally aware they're inside a novel. Or at least the language calls attention to itself. How Murakami is able to get away with a teenaged girl in a bathing suit licking the face of a balding man twice her age -- and have that be poignant -- is largely due to the fact Murakami calls attention to fact none of them are real people. It's not real, it's a concept. (Maybe that's too much of "trying to have your cake and eat it too.") As for porn, there's nothing wrong with porn and to my mind porn is the most sincere form of entertainment. All entertainment can be reduced to porn principles (I don't mean fetishes). Your experience with porn will tell you something about yourself, because this is (usually) the part of yourself that's not hindered by outside forces. You're not trying to impress/please anyone but yourself, and so you go straight for the stuff you like, or explore the stuff you're not sure about quite yet. The answers you find there are purer than elsewhere, elsewhere that gets corrupted by vanity or ego or shame. That's what I mean by sincere. If you're honest with yourself, porn's an honest kink. Ain't nothing wrong with that. RE: BDSM, it might be interesting to consider the Bottom is actually the one in control, and the Top is the one who must abide; it takes a lot of control and strength to be vulnerable, and so the honest BDSM relationship is predicated on trust in the other person to perform their role to MUTUAL benefit. Good luck with the second read. Bear in mind the events of Kafka's life were set in motion back in 1944, and what really happens is everyone's being manipulated so that a malevolent adversary can take over the world like PINKY AND THE BRAIN. I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to reduce Murakami's work, not at all. In fact very much the opposite. It takes a lot of talent to make everything seem so dreamy. Let me know if you've got any more questions about KAFKA.

[@kalpnasaxena9112]

I have to say that I find these thoughts to be as tied to some connections that I made in mind from reading this book as I find them amazing. I'm someone who loves Kafka On The Shore for the reason, one of many reasons, one which I can put into words, that it supplements the great scope of my search for limitless openness and power to human imagination out in the world, so I can't not think about it. When I pay attention to what the characters have conversed on in the book, and how many more appear that have complete mystery to them, I feel like I can invest my time in what Murakami has designed. I know it's not meaningless gibberish. I think of it as having a symbiotic relationship with this book. In Murakami's own words, it's like a "reservoir". I was sure the first time reading it that I'll read it again. This novel is, I find, an experiment by the author and it should be just as much an experiment by the reader. So, I'm thankful for your thoughts, really.

[@emersonrocha8218]

Thank you for your thoughts, I had a brain orgasm

[@IAteFire]

I think his statement on mythology being a reservoir of knowledge, and him being happy to be a similar reservoir on a much smaller scale, perfectly explain his writing style.

[@susmitasarkar5311]

@@emersonrocha8218 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mrptails]

I loved the book. It twists your mind out of shape but the journey is absolutely beautiful. The bond between Nakata and his travelling buddy Hoshino warmed my heart greatly. As with all Murakami work, he paints amazing pictures with words.

[@Funkbutterfly]

Yeah it is a heartwarming story when you're not expecting it

[@loganfontenot4605]

just finished it yesterday! absolutely loved it! on the topic of the incest.... My theory is that Kafka is a reincarnation of Ms. Saeki’s lover, hence her strong infatuation with him. I mean think about it: the feelings she had for her boyfriend in her youth were definitely stronger than anything she’d ever felt. For her to pursue anyone else, she’d have to love them equally as much. And since she was so enamored with this boy in her youth, one could assume that she would only ever fall for someone just like him; someone with an identical essence, an identical soul (anything’s possible in Murakami’s world). This kinda makes the incest a little less gross, still pretty gross, but thought-provoking nonetheless. again, such a great book. my first of what will be many murakami books :)

[@jefftorres7318]

Logan Fontenot dumbass theory

[@loganfontenot4605]

​@@jefftorres7318 omg

[@yuneshtimalsina3415]

After reading this book, i was left with so many questions.

[@tomeuamengualadrover6540]

I recommend browsing through Reddit to read a bunch of theories

[@sawbhagipradhan4423]

So was I.

[@kristinclark8843]

If you want to skip the spoiler, skip ahead to 7:29

[@dianaayt]

Well I actually thought I would feel bad about Kafka and his mother but it felt so sincere, so truthfull taht i couldn't take it back. She was so sad through all her life and then found him who loved her. I mean, I couldn't blame any of them

[@nicolechacon6654]

i absolutely loved it, i do respect other people's opinions tho. i think it was very intelligently written although i do agree in the fact that there were some parts where it was a little too long and didnt say much but overall it was an amazing story. i think one of the things that happen is that people want to try to understand absolutely everything in a book however, when reading Murakami, as you said, we kind of just have to go on with it, and that is the beauty and fun of reading his books in my opinion oh also, about the whole sex and rape that you mentioned, hhmm i'm not really sure Murakami's objective was to make anyone uncomfortable really, because i don't really believe that she is his mother and that Sakura ( i think that is her name) is his sister. they are just like the mother and sister he never got to meet. also, i don't think we should take it quite literally like him and a 40-year-old woman having sex, but it is the encounter of both sexual love and "motherly" love, i don't know if i am making any sense. it is supposed to be complicated to explain because there is no right or wrong answer, i guess only murakami nows what he was going for

[@iamaloungechair]

Wind-Up Bird Chronicle should absolutely be the next HM book you read.

[@chboskyy]

I've read a fair few Murakamis now and Kafka on the Shore was one of my favourites! I do need to read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle though, and I hear that's a lot of people's favourite, so maybe that will change my mind...

[@amankhatri6119]

yes !!!

[@mirceadolineanu9715]

I read a book quite a while ago, so it may not be as fresh in my mind, but i do recall that it was quite clear that the girl Kafka meets at the beginning is not his sister. He only has a feeling it may be so, although he himself realizes that she doesn't look like the photo she has of her sister as a child. Also the girls says that she has both parents and she's been with them forever. The other woman who is supposedly his mother is nowhere confirmed to be his real mother. It is just what Kafka believed. The way I see it Kafka as a person was bound by his prophecy to a fate he despised, so he kind of subconsciously faked aspects of the prophecy in order to trick really that it was fulfilled. He had relations with women he thought of as sister or mother, but were not the real ones. They just fit the age and, in the case of the mother, some circumstances. Also (spoiler) the death of his dad was not really his making. Again this is my view, but his father, who was into some occult mambo jambo, made Nakata kill him in the scene with the cats. The loss of control on the part of Nakata may have been his inability to cope with trauma, hin not being that bright, rather than actual possession. Although, through his mistical mambo jambo the father make Kafka witness his death in an empathic way and even put some blood on the kid's shirt to make a point. His father seems to me to be the orchestrator of this entire plot and the prophecy just a way to make Kafka go to the other world such that while the gate is open he can go there too and do whatever. My point is, the disturbing events were not to be taken in the literal way.

[@vioinigracia7]

hey I'm sorry. I need to be honest. Your review here lacks the in-depth understanding of the book. I suggest you to understand the book from the writer's perpective first before doing a review. I really like this book. It goes beyond my imagination. It has left me with many unanswered questions but the ending made me believe that it'd be a good fresh start for kafka. that's all, thank you.

[@lukaspreis4736]

I read Norwegian Wood and really loved it. Kafka on the shore was the second book I read and I didn't like it too much. Which Murakami book would you recommend that it is more like Norwegian Wood?

[@DasKatze500]

Tiki Tonga Norwegian Wood is different than a lot of Murakami’s work because it is pretty much devoid of any mysticism, surrealism, or fantasy. I’m not overly familiar with his works, but a collection of his short stories called ‘men without women’ has lots of stories more similar to Norwegian Wood. In as so far that they are very much grounded in reality. Sputnik Sweetheart is also more like Norwegian Wood, I feel. It has hints of the magical but nothing totally fantastical like Kafka on the Shore. It’s not as good as Norwegian Wood, in my opinion, but enjoyable and worth checking out.

[@lukaspreis4736]

@@DasKatze500 Thanks for the reply. I just finished "Men without Women" today and I thought it was okay... nothing that has moved me in any serious way. I will keep looking :)

[@snowflake1680]

2:30, she says Tanaka instead of nakata lol

[@benanar4924]

Snow Flake Thats how much shit she have given to finish this book but rather some denial thoughts that she did well job on processing it.

[@nostalgia5080]

I really love this review, i think i share most of your impressions, but what i really liked about this book was not the plot, but the writing, especially the metaphors (in Kafka"s chapters) , and also the puzzeling original imagination of the author, like when he talked about "the after life" or " other shore" or whatever, when Kafka got into the woods, the fact that clothes right there were clean but used, and the cosy room, and some metaphor about thunder like a dwarf jamping on a drum, ( i don't know the exact sentence i read it in french xd ) it's so stimulating and imaginatif, but i agree , the plot was quiet anarchic, because of the transition between kafka and nakata i think, I urge you to read Sputnik Sweetheart, which contains some kind of a solid plot and one of the most beautiful Murakami's writings on human condition, and The Wind Up Chronicles is a great book also, but the plot is just crazy xD And sorry for my bad english xd

[@Bettytruffles]

why is your carpet upside down?

[@ellissojourner2216]

I've had this video in my watch later playlist for so many years and now I cant finally watch it because I finally read this book that I've had also many years! god it feels good to clear out old tbr shit I've had forever

[@asifulalam2262]

Because, saeki saw her childhood sweetheart in kafka. Maybe that's the reason?

[@AA-pv1ng]

For me personally incest wasn't really an issue, it was just the way the story went and I'm okay with that. But one thing that totally irked me was just how hypersexual the book sometimes got. I found Kafka very shallow, and kinda hidden and there were just 2-3 things he usually had to think about, constant one being sex. No problem with that too but um not my thing

[@Kumanosuke]

All Murakami books I've read are kinds hypersexual and pointlessly sexual in a way that it doesn't contribute anything to the story. I don't have a problem either, but it just feels off.

[@zd91]

Being shallow doesn't seem like an uncommon characteristic for a 15 year old...

[@abelio5361]

Tbh, being shallow and always thinking about sex happened to me when I was 15 years old. So, I think Murakami has been doing pretty good job to captured 15 y.o. Kafka's personality.

[@ajaypoudel8248]

Kafka is a 15 year old, what else do you expect?

[@vedantgupta626]

From what i am able to deduce, Miss Saeki must have use the entrance stone to open the doors of the Spirit World, owing to which the spirit of her lover was released further Miss Saeki after losing her lover lost half of her spirit as well this can be deduced from the fact she has half of her Shadow like Nakata, which explains the spirit of the 15 Year old girl. Spirit of her lover uses Kafka as a medium because of which Kafka falls for the 15 year Miss Saeki, so essentially it is not Kafka who is falling for and having sex with her instead its the spirit of the lover in Kafka, this might also explain why Miss Saeki would yield to all this.

[@emgeevic524]

Thank you for being considerate for us who haven't finished the book yet!

[@marcomagasic9108]

Kafka on the Shore is the perfect novel.

[@HAZRDLyrics]

I found your channel today, & I felt like I found my heaven. Thank you.

[@saikolhatkar226]

I don't know... I have rwad the book halfway through and I am hooked. I don't know how to put this, and I in no way want to offend you or discourage you but I am glad that I didn't hear any review of this book before starting it. It's nothing against your review, I just feel that when we try to explain the plot of this book we make it sound like some futile story. One has to read it to understand why it is so intriguing and captivating.

[@Angel-xg5ki]

I read the book before 3 or 5 years and I just understood the novel!!!!! thank you so much for this video I love it

[@fernandolr217]

I read this years ago so I can't make a very detailed assessment/critique of it now, but I do remember loving it. I liked the whole atmosphere of the book and I remember being really drawn and absorbed into these worlds, as is the case with every Murakami book I've read. I do want to re-read it though, especially after seeing this video. I think I did liked The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle more, though it might be becuase I read it a lot more recently and thus have a clear opinion of it. But I did loved both of these books! Either way, I do really recommend you pick up that one next! On a side note, I've been really liking your channel and I'm happy to see pretty regular uploads lately!

[@chloesproule6088]

I watched this just after reading it, and I have to say it pretty much captured my thoughts to a tee. Personally, I loved the book, or maybe more accurately I loved the feeling it gave me while reading it. I could've used more explanation at the end (I was dying to know the cause of the Rice Bowl Hill Incident) but overall I was satisfied. One of my favourite parts was how the lyrics in the song didn't really make sense at the time, but by the end, they all had a part to play in the novel. Like "the entrance stone" which nakata and hoshino inevitably find, "the soldiers steeling themselves to die" that got lost in the forest by the Kochi mountains, "I'm in a crater that is no more" could that be the small town by the end? Great video!

[@singIeservingfriend]

I've only read What I Talk About When I talk About Running, and plan to read KOTS in a book or two away. What drew me to it was the cat theme as I loved The Guest Cat by Hirade (one of the most beautiful books I've read). Your review has made me more curious about it now...I like being weirded out by books

[@carlogasty5996]

I have a different cover page for this book review. Is the content the same or different?

[@Chareads]

Almost definitely the same

[@carlogasty5996]

Thank you :)

[@MrNipoopoo]

Just finished the book, but there are so many things that aren’t answered and here i am sitting like wtf??

[@ellajanesmusic]

Totally agree with this review - loved the first half, very disappointed by the second.

[@thiagocc84]

I totally agree with you, I was loving the book until almost half of it, after that, it was so disappointing. I can't understand people saying it was a great book. Her review was pretty good, the best one I watched about his book

[@tortoisedreams6369]

Excellent video. I need to re-read KOTS, & you've given me a lot to think about when I do. I remember it being somewhat unsatisfying. I also need to re-read WIndUpBird, which was brilliant. Haven't read 1Q84. Favorites would be After Dark, Norwegian Wood, Wind Up Bird, South of the Border ... . Enjoyed this!

[@praptijain4793]

Came accross this video today and would just like to put forth this opinion about the incest you mentioned. According to me, the older woman and the other girl weren't actually related to him. He always thought that they were but it's never been confirmed in the course of the book. So I interpreted it as Kafka sort of being obsessed with that prophecy and thus making it true in his head even though they were actually not his sister and mother. Would love to discuss. And thanks for the review :D

[@leahsdreams]

I had the exact same thoughts on it for my first read. Don't think they'd improve any during a second time through.

[@معكتاب]

It's a magnificent story I love it so much and I couldn't leave the book until it finished, the Author involved all his knowledge to build it in great manner.. How it's related all the three stories of characters together and communicated in intelligent plot twist.. The part I didn't like it is the sexiest parts and use the Odeep tragedy theory >> his relationship with the train girl >> also

[@ShahidaKhanam]

true... i hate the sex part ! but everything else was amazing!

[@AanyaJain]

I just finished this book. And I have my own thoughts running. This book has a lot of layers I believe. Plus I don't think if someone who hasn't read Murakami - should not start this as a first book.

[@tejeskave00]

Exactly. This was my first book from him, the title was chatchy, so I borrowed it. And I really liked it. There is no such a thing as good or bad start, it is totally on the person. And I think we shouldn't make a rocket science about reading books. We shouldn't say how to read, where to start. We should leave it on the people.

[@themutedladakhis9006]

Hey can we discuss it more as I am going to do a research on it . How can I contact you.

[@vedantgupta626]

From what i am able to deduce, Miss Saeki must have use the entrance stone to open the doors of the Spirit World, owing to which the spirit of her lover was released further Miss Saeki after losing her lover lost half of her spirit as well this can be deduced from the fact she has half of her Shadow like Nakata, which explains the spirit of the 15 Year old girl. Spirit of her lover uses Kafka as a medium because of which Kafka falls for the 15 year Miss Saeki, so essentially it is not Kafka who is falling for and having sex with her instead its the spirit of the lover in Kafka, this might also explain why Miss Saeki would yield to all this

[@themutedladakhis9006]

@@vedantgupta626 thanks dear

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

Actually we've evolved so that we generally find people who look similar to what we've seen when we were young attractive, but the stuff we see when we're young, while being a sort of blueprint for parts of our sexuality, is usually our family so our brains also develop an avoidance of that. It's not always the family but yeah

[@gamingwithbeast219]

Any discussion questions I could use for a presentation?

[@qissakhor]

I am currently reading it, and it's just not connecting with me.

[@the_towngirl2698]

So well presented and authentic review.Thank you for sharing!❤

[@octojas]

It captured the absurdity of existence for me.

[@luizacalegari]

Hi! This is a bit non related, but when you spoke of the "dumb" person not being able to communicate with the reader, I thought of The sound and the fury, by Faulkner. It turns out the first third of the book is narrated chaotically by a dumb guy, and it only makes some sense in the two final parts, when the narrators change, and it's brilliant! It is a difficult but fascinating read, I would definitely recommend it. :)

[@Chareads]

oOOOOoo interesting. I've never read any Faulkner, perhaps this is the one.

[@cjscanlon0205]

i'm just frustrated with the lack of conclusion with johnny walker and the boy named crow

[@cjscanlon0205]

@@_sohamshelke the more I think about it I feel like what happened is that scene where the crow attacks johnny walker in the forest takes place before the whole story, so he realizes he can't kill him and orchestrates the whole thing and gets kafka and nakata to do everything they have to do in order to stop the 'johnny walker' spirit thing. idk man it was a trip

[@wtflalit]

This novel gets a little bit mundane at chapter 36 or somewhere because it seems like author is trying to stretch or weave a plot in between but it gets interesting right after. Two people die at the end. Everything is perfect. This book leaves you with a void. I don't know how to describe it. It's just.... I don't know.

[@JT-xs7es]

Just finished Kafka on the shore (only work of Murakami's I've read so far) and I agree that the book started to fall apart after about 250 pages to the point that the last 30 pages seemed like a bit of joke. Regarding incest, It was never clear to me that Saruka or Ms saeki we're actually related to him in reality. To me, Kafka viewing them as his mother and sister were his way of trying to fill the emptiness he was experiencing as essentially an abandoned child. A way of artificially piecing together a painful, nagging mystery. Ultimately, I was put off some of the incest references which I think we're on some level Murakami's way of describing the severe horniness associated with puberty.

[@JT-xs7es]

*some by (not of)

[@numnum8357]

I disagree with most of what you said.Kafka had sex with Mrs Saiki because the soul of her previous sweetheart lives in Kafkas body,while the boy named crow is the original soul that supposed to be in that body...

[@smnthsantos]

Just finished reading this one, I loved how it inserted existentialism & philosophy! However, it was kinda off to put oedipal themes to it. Nonetheless, glad to bump into your review. More power :)

[@_nightowl263]

Love all of Hoshino's platitudes

[@LucifersTrip]

Do you know for sure that was his mother & sister?

[@Chareads]

+LucifersTrip not necessarily - it's Murakami after all, everything's a bit surreal - but from the perspective of Kafka they are and I think that's all that matters

[@peterdore3677]

It would be interesting to hear you go deeper into the specifics of why some of the more "meta" ideas about death, etc.. Didnt land for you.

[@jleigh535]

I loved this book...and am about to read it again after 10 years... but I've just read killing commandante so what am I supposed to think? one day someone will write Murakami on the Shore...

[@sacalla1480]

Regarding the sleeping with his mother, fisrtly, it is never clearly stated that she is, it is just Kafka's theory who is obssesed with the prophecy, and, secondly, even if she is, Kafka on the Shore is, among other things, a retelling of the Edipus tragedy, which is essentially the terrible terrible realization of a son and mother who realized the have commited incest. It is repulsive and problematic because nobody likes to think of doing the same, but on both stories the boy and the mother fall in love without actually having a mother-son relationship. They fall in love with a person the just meet with such a bad luck that they are veeery related. It's gross and unacceptable to sleep with one of your parents, and if you sleep with someone and you realize he or she is actually one of your parents... oh, gosh. It is in itself a problematic topic that both stories explore because... it is really problematic. They are brave for for doing so. Even if it is looked down by society, the stories are about doing socially unacceptable things without intention and living with the consequences. It is normal that we feel 'Ugh!' about what they tell.

[@dwaynechalmers9698]

Disappointed in Kafka on the shore IQ1984 is without a doubt his best peice

[@shahinjahanlu2199]

I READ IT And love it .

[@nuanceblacksywin4868]

I was never sure that it was his mother. Although, in the end it was sort of clear that she was, I think.. But nevertheless it was to late to fuzz about it. Incest is everywhere nowadays, so it doesn't really bother me. The idea of doing that myself is disgusting, but I sort of separate that from other people, and especially fiction. The audio book version of this book is really terrific by the way. Very well narrated.

[@Mads_Vel]

It was incredible exciting to read this book! I especially liked (spoiler) the description of the exploration of the cottage on the mointain, Nakatas childhood / journey and Kafka's mysterious path to a fantasy world?

[@MC-115]

wow that's fascinating that you loved it until about halfway in. I finished this novel yesterday. I despised it until around chapter 20/page ~200. I found it insufferable until it's second half and nearly put the book down.

[@jeaniec.495]

I liked the writing style, but the sex did make me a little uncomfortable. I've usually very open too, but something just felt off. Maybe it's because the female characters just came off as "fantasy female sex objects." I didn't stop reading because of that though. I had to stop with the cat killings. I didn't want to put myself through that. Listening to your review, I'm not sure there's much left for me to want to finish the book.

[@zissimoskalarrytis3865]

Jeanie C. Trust me its worth it

[@IqbalKhursheed]

Very interesting review. Enjoyed it really. Novel is good, but too long, but unreal characters, and unanswered questions.

[@Froshigi]

I also didn't think saeki was actually kafkas mother. More of a symbol and outlet for kafkas confusion about being abandoned. At the end, saeki never explicitly stated that she was his mother, only that hed "already know the answer to that". I think saeki was talking about abandoning her dead husband, by being stuck in the past and essentially abandoning herself. They both played the roles of each other's loved ones to give each other peace. IMO ofc.... I think kafkas wierd obsession with having sex with his mom came from his abandonment issues, which I've learned in uni that there is a lot of correlation between girls who have "daddy" fantasies and lack of fatherly love in their life.

[@bignatesbookreviews]

this is all facts , i feel the same !!

[@melvinmathew4330]

You are absolutely right

[@vidhantigoel4243]

I've read 2 more books of Haruki and really liked them. But this one didn't cut it for me. I found some instances unnecessary and loose ended. The book couldn't grasp me. So much of it was this out of the world aspect that it left me with confusion. And the ending didn't really satisfy me. This wasn't the book for me. And ofcourse the incest and rape was unwanted for me.

[@지형탁]

This book is kinda dangerous bc this book keeps saying someth like This was a wrong thing, it shouldn't have happened. However anyway it happened. We were just trapped by the storm of the fate. Let's just let it go. Hope you can catch why this point of view is dangerous, thinking about the tragedy that Japan brought up

[@rebeccaevans9518]

It's never actually confirmed if Sakura and Saeki are his actual mother and sister, regardless of that those points in the novel were really odd lol. I think that Saeki agreed to sleep with Kafka was because she actually died at 19-20 years old, and has never really moved on from that point. So therefore, sleeping with a 15 year old isn't as weird because she is still in that mindset, even though it still is fucking weird lol. typical Murakami i guess

[@Vogo]

its nakata not takana .. shoutout to Vaishnavi

[@jameslongstaff2762]

I'm religious, so take me with a grain of salt, but the sex and rape and the incest were distasteful to me, but I see how they contribute to the overall message of the story

[@Funkbutterfly]

All of your criticisms are right and yet if you took any of these aspects away it would degrade the book. I think the imperfections make it more memorable.

[@billkeon880]

Maybe the author wants to make you uncomfortable about incest or maybe it’s part of Kafka’s character change who in the end changes from a fatalism or victim of prophesy to having the ability to make his own choices, changing from a passive character to an active one. You have to give the author some trust and not to immediately assign a PC value to it. I love your videos and accent.

[@againstballveer5316]

I actually enjoyed those parts. Am I a pervert?

[@googlei2666]

No

[@andilove18]

You convinced me not to read it but some of the comments make me want to read it now. My next HM book will probably be Sputnik Sweetheart as the audio book is currently free on Scribd. I really want to read After Dark and The Strange Library next. I've read only Norwegian Wood so far, and while I did not like the characters as much because I couldn't relate to their feelings of loneliness, the story really stayed with me. I'm interested in reading it again in the future.

[@opioloco2537]

Maan i felt the same for the pointless part because in the middle of the book and i really felt like what really is the point of this kind of story luke where will this go

[@madhumitadhara9745]

Just finished this book now

[@hillary6800]

i hated it all, until I finished. now, I like the book.

[@Chareads]

Interesting. What changed?

[@josedammert]

great take

[@frankfeldman6657]

umm... would you be disgusted, offended by greek myths? best stay away from them, methinks.

[@mohammedbenlaiter2046]

I want an answer to my question, is this really a novel that contains sexual things ??

[@alan.w8744]

Dude u are great 👍👍👍

[@sebkafka6330]

I am the last Kafka

[@sebkafka6330]

Well I don't sleep with my family tho

[@AntiEstablishmentRhetorician]

OK, I don't think I'll read this, then! 😆

[@HyenaXS]

I was disappointed for the same reasons. Wooooooo!

[@dalaco1449]

I think "kafka" is better than "after dark", but I didn't really like either.

[@dylanwolf]

Thank you for a brilliant video review; I've only just stumbled over your channel and I will definitely be viewing more of your book reviews. "Kafka On The Shore" was the first Haruki Murakami book I read, a few years back now, and like you I had problems with it. Normally I'm quite a fan of magical realism, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" for example is one of my favourite books. But, in my opinion magical realism has to be done properly; as a means of mythologising time it is fantastic tool, but for me in KotS Murakami uses it just as a way of attempting to look cool. There's far too much of it in the book and it's all largely unfocused and purposeless, like overdone CGI in a summer blockbuster film. All surface and no substance. The sex in the book also turned me off the novel, but for a different reason to you. I had enjoyed the start of the book and was prepared to go with it until the episodes with the librarian. I really started to feel, hang on, this is just a 15 year old boy's wet dream about "wouldn't the world be great if every desirable woman was desperate to have sex with me". I remember being 15 (many, many years ago) and when those hormones really first start to rage, and hey I was no exception, it's a fantasy I'm sure all heterosexual boys experience. Which in the context of the novel would have been fine, had Murakami been concentrating on it as a theme in a coming of age novel. But it seemed, to me, that this immature sexual obsession was the driving force of the fantasy female characters too and ruled their motivations as much as it did Kafka's. They were just sexual handmaidens to serve his carnal lusts and to help him fulfil his prophetic destiny, rather than real women. Sure it's sexy and titillating to read, especially for a man than a woman I suspect, but how does it serve the point of the novel. And isn't the portrayal of women in KotS really sexist? I'd come to Murakami on the back of the populist hype for his work and started to feel that the book was totally designed for popular commercial success, and not because Murakami had anything interesting or insightful to say about being a teenage boy in modern Japan. When I started to feel that, it lost me completely and all the silliness in the forest (magic spaces and getting lost - how unsubtle can you be) at the end of the book was something I endured just in order to say I'd read it all. On the positive side, I was particularly hooked by Saturo's childhood Rice Bowl Hill Incident, which had me off researching to see if it was based on a real event. At that point in my reading I had really high hopes for KotS because it reminded me of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay, a novel which handles myth, mysticism, puberty and sexual awakening in a far defter and subtle fashion. So, I wasn't all that impressed by Murakami. Although I have gone on to read "Norwegian Wood" which I thought was a better book but didn't turn me into a fan. Off to check out some of your other videos. Blessings Kevin.

[@DBPoker]

Herruki murrakamii

[@sahilhadke]

Please mention at the start that this video contains spoilers! You spoiled the book for me :(

[@charliecarpo9759]

You definitely didn't understand this book at all.

[@allesvergaengliche]

Loved this book. I’m a huge fan of classical music-particularly love Beethoven and Schubert who feature heavily in the book-and I didn’t think to realize that huge portions of the book might not land if the reader is not a classical listener. Should also note that as much as I enjoyed this book, I found it deeply flawed.

[@ysRilLLeX]

You shouldn't read , it shuld be only read once

[@maximetanguay1066]

i feel you red it like you would read a harlequin book.. your review sounds a bit snobby :S sorry