Kafka on the Shore

I've recently been listening to an audio recording of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I wish I was better at reviewing and writing about books because it's definitely one of the best books I have ever read/listened to.

I first became aware of the book when I read that it was one of The New York Times' 10 best books of 2005. It caught my eye because I had read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by the same author and had really enjoyed it, though I found it a rather unusual story.

As I've been listening to the book, I've been thinking to myself that I'm probably not picking up on everything the author is trying to say. According to a Wikipedia article, the author, Murakami, "...stated that the secret to understanding the novel lies in reading it multiple times. Murakami: 'Kafka on the Shore contains several riddles, but there aren't any solutions provided. Instead, several of these riddles combine, and through their interaction the possibility of a solution takes shape. And the form this solution takes will be different for each reader. To put it another way, the riddles function as part of the solution. It's hard to explain, but that's the kind of novel I set out to write.' "

Besides the riddles, the story contains many references to music and musicians, both contemporary and classic, as well as literature. In fact, one of the main characters spends a great amount of time in a library reading. What a wonderful way to spend time!

The story is full of both the real and the surreal. The two main characters are unusual, the 15 year perhaps wise beyond his years, and both very endearing. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read a contemporary, thoughtful novel.