Kafka on the Shore review
Oct. 29th, 2009 05:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI picked up Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami on a recent visit to Waterstones with the book voucher's Dave kindly gave me - I really must learn not to buy books in the weeks leading up to my birthday - apologies to nezumi_sama who bought this very book for me.
It's translated from the Japanese incredibly well, as the excellence of the writing was one of the best things about the book. The plot is impossible to describe in brief and without giving lots away - suffice to say, it's very strange, but stays just on the right side of "too weird" for me. It involves talking cats, falling fish, mystical stones, odd spirit-like characters who manipulate people, but also sexual desire, the search for self, and a whole host of other interesting themes.
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone - it's a little squicky in places (though those who know me will realise it can't be that bad as it didn't bother me too much), and anyone who likes neat explanations and all loose ends tied up should stay well away, but there are a fair few people I think would enjoy it, so if anyone wants to borrow it, let me know.
Definitely the best fiction book I've read for quite a while - and I shall be interested to read something else by the same author (thanks, nezumi_sama!).
It's translated from the Japanese incredibly well, as the excellence of the writing was one of the best things about the book. The plot is impossible to describe in brief and without giving lots away - suffice to say, it's very strange, but stays just on the right side of "too weird" for me. It involves talking cats, falling fish, mystical stones, odd spirit-like characters who manipulate people, but also sexual desire, the search for self, and a whole host of other interesting themes.
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone - it's a little squicky in places (though those who know me will realise it can't be that bad as it didn't bother me too much), and anyone who likes neat explanations and all loose ends tied up should stay well away, but there are a fair few people I think would enjoy it, so if anyone wants to borrow it, let me know.
Definitely the best fiction book I've read for quite a while - and I shall be interested to read something else by the same author (thanks, nezumi_sama!).
