Kafka on the Shore is a combination of
Surrealism, Classical Music, Books, and of course sex. A combination you would
easily find in many of Murakami’s work. The song called Kafka on the Shore is
the main theme song of this book. Murakami often uses music in many of his
writing (Beatles’ Norwegian wood in Norwegian
Wood, and Janacek’s Sinfonietta in IQ84).
He also mentions several books and author such as Natsume Soseki (Author of
Botchan) and western author such as Frans Kafka, and Scott Fitzgerald.
The main
stories follow the two main Protagonists, turn 15 years old Kafka Tamura (We never know his real name) and the
cat talker Nakata will about to embark a very long and important journey which
is going to change their life. Even if they never meet, their destiny
intertwined and influenced each other. Kafka Tamura run away from home once he
turns to 15 under the dark prophecy of his Father that he will be fall in love
with his mother and his sister. The “not very bright” Nakata’s journey after he
is forced to kill Kafka’s father who dressed like Johnnie Walker to find and open “the entrance”.
Reading
Murakami’s narrative often felt dreamlike, and bewitch at the same time. There
is an indescribable power which absorbed me to keep on turning pages even at
the end (from experience) I know the author will never provide any satisfying
answer. Murakami’s hater often criticized the lack of plot as one of the
weakness of Murakami’s fiction, I couldn’t have agreed more. But if you want to
read Murakami’s novel, plot is the last thing you would expect.
Kafka on the Shore is no different. Sometimes
it left me wondering how this kind of scene could happen and how significant it
is to the story. For instance, the scene where leeches and fishes fallen from
the sky, there is no explanation though why or how it could happen and how
significant it is to the story.
Put that aside,
Murakami’s often criticized for his not so Japanese-like content. The uses of
western icon, music, and product can easily found inside. Beethoven’s The Archduke Trio is often mentioned and
describe in the story just like in IQ84’s Janacek. There are also several
characters such as Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders which leaves us wondering
why should them why not Lincoln, or Batman.
As we continued
to lift up and open each page there are only questions and more questions, no
answer.
