This Japanese tale is of a deeply unhappy and emotionally isolated teenage boy running away from a home where his father never explained why both his mother and sister left when he was but a boy. Adopting the pseudonym "Kafka Tamura", this runaway boards a bus to Shikoku, and vows to himself via this inner voice which is referred to as "Crow", to be the toughest fifteen year old he can be. His journey has only just begun.

After Kafka embarks on his journey we are introduced to Mister Nakata. A man who, after suffering a traumatic event during WWII with the entirety of his classmates whilst on a mountain, is left without the ability to read or write. His talent however lies with his ability to communicate with cats. I found him to be one of those characters who was fleshed to perfection. The author took care to portray him not as a man who is to be pitied, but one who is to be admired. Touches such as Mister Nakata referring to himself in the third person combined with an openness and honesty endears him to all, and allows him to live a life uncluttered by the social demands of the modern world.

Kafka ends up a library and through serendipity encounters two people who take an immediate liking to him. From this point on Kafka is inexorably drawn to a parallel world where the life he lives may be changed if all the recent and fortuitous circumstances of his meetings with such kind hearted people is truly part of a dark prophecy his father told him. Sanctuary from both the outside world and himself is on offer at the library. Nakata is also to have his life turned upside down when on a mission to locate and return a lost stray cat he meets a shadowy sculptor who has been kidnapping and murdering cats for his own insane needs. Nakaata ends up murdering him, confesses to a police officer the nature of his crime (he is not believed), and then leaves the city he has known all his life.

The power that both these wounded men are able to perform is a metaphysical oddity as it is never explained. Things just happen for a reason; what that reason is is to allow the progress of the novel to segue from the real world to the real world being influenced by a series of unconnected and totally surreal occurrences. Fish fall from the sky, ghosts visitations, Colonel Saunders turning up a pimp - this novel does not fall short on fantasy - it is however all for a reason. The prose is crisp, the sadness described throughout the five hundred plus pages brings about an empathic and clear realisation on the human condition: especially the needs we have pertaining to love, respect and understanding. Kafka On The Shore is a wonderful read that rarely gets too puzzling or dense or over-the-top wacky. A very touching tale that I recommend to all.






A wonderfully written, and gorgeously realised, novel whose central character is something of a damp squib. A novel definitely worth reading if only to see where it leads the reader. Disjointed and full of metaphorical obfuscation as this novel proved to be I did enjoy reading it. However, it left me feeling disappointed by its ending.

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