Kafka On The Shore

@pinktaxiblogger: I predict Haruki Murakami will get a Nobel Prize @Haruki_tweets @paulocoelho @SalmanRushdie #watchthisspace




After running through, debating and constantly thinking of What I Talk about when I Talk about Running, attempting and aborting the reading of 1Q84, I picked Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami because I believe in his talent.



His Talk about Running, a non-fiction essay of sorts about his passion, introduced me to the writer as a resolute athlete. What better than a book on fitness written in literary words? There transpired his personality and his real story. Nothing of this, except his constant talent, and his personal style come through in Kafka on the Shore.



I was hooked to a story I refuse to divulge in this commentary. Suffice me to say that unlike the cult book 1Q84, I was able to decipher the magical world of Murakami here. Perhaps because the story isn't as extraordinary as the other one.



Yet I warn you that you will be precipitated in a world of manga, a modern Alice in Wonderland because it often narrates as a road trip, or a coming of age: a Japanese Catcher in the Rye. But it remains akin to a Hiroyuki Morita animation: The Cat Returns. It has the magical realism of Latin American literature and also alludes to Borges' favourite theme: reading. Here you read the books the protagonists read, making you part of their fantasy! The novel is also dipped into classical music. The characters ponder its beauty and significance.



There is a blurred line between reality and illusions because reality and feelings are simplified to their essence. From that perception, comes the appreciation for Murakami. Beauty simply is, and everything is possible in this novel.