Of all the books I've read recently, Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore is, without doubt, my favorite. This is my first outing with Murakami, and the only thing I'm certain of is that he's incomparable; I can't think of anyone, living or dead, who writes the way he does. The book itself is bizarre, spooky, and mind-bending--talking cats, mackerel falling from the sky, and even Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame all figure prominently in the plot. Imagine that feeling you get when you first wake up from one of the weirdest dreams you've ever had, and you're pretty close to knowing what reading this book is like. Murakami has an ethereal, light-as-a-feather writing style, which contrasts nicely with the story's darker elements. Sure, one could easily label Kafka on the Shore as postmodern, but it's not of the Thomas Pynchon or James Joyce variety; Murakami is fun.

Comments

[Bookie]

Wow, your description of Murakami's writing style is perfect. Well said.

[Bookie]

Wow, your description of Murakami's writing style is perfect. Well said.

[Matt]

Love Murakami. I've been saving "Kafka on the Shore for a treat. The other day, I downloaded the audiobook of it; the "Wind-Up" audiobook left me cold less than two hours into it. Just couldn't stomach the narrator's attempt at different voices. I'm planning on multimedia Kafka sometime before summer.

What of his will you read next?

[Brandon]

Bookie: Thank you. Murakami has a nice way of making the weird seem ... normal.

Matt: I have to thank you for the introduction. I'm going to tackle "Wind-Up" next, since I've often heard good things about it. I don't how "Kafka" compares to his other work, but I loved it; Murakami draws inspiration from so many sources, but makes it all his own. And I liked how he doesn't dwell on the weird aspects of the book. In a lesser author's hands, the weirdness could've been a disaster, but Murakami pulls it off. Very nice.

[Stefanie]

I read my first Murakami earlier this year, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and I loved it. I too found his writing style light and reading him great fun. Like no one else I've ever read. I am glad to know I can expect the same in his other books.