Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes, good books sneak up on you.

And sometimes they lead you out into deep dark forests, and sometimes they surprise you into completely losing your ego, destroying that fantastic Romantic musical embellishment and tumbling you into places were it's okay to talk to rocks and cats and have them talk back to you. Or enact your very own Oedipal fantasy. Or just fall in love with libraries.

Or maybe this wonderfully low-key novel about a simple old man who can't read going on a journey with an interesting lorry driver is just written by a master. I've read a few others by Murakami but none are QUITE as great as this. And Kafka, himself? I've never met a more dedicated and careful 15-year-old in my life. It's kinda amazing just how much trouble he kinda gets into as he runs away from home.

I love every single character in this book. It's like sucking on a lemon drop that lasts for the entire length of the novel. It feels like great SF. It reads like great Fantasy. But above all, it reads like a classic of literature. :)

Saying much more will spoil all the reveals. The wonderful reveals. :) This journey.

View all my reviews