I decided to pick this book up after watching the YouTube video TEDed did on it (which was also why I read Fahrenheit 451 and Dune and started One Hundred years of solitude). This is the link for the video if you want to watch it; https://youtu.be/mB4FO1itCi0
The story follows two main characters; Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old teenager who decides to run away from home and Nakata, an elderly man who lost his memory and most of his intelligence in a bizarre event during WWII. From there the story evolves to include magical elements from talking cats to spirits and mystical portals, all while having a strong literary focus.
The characters (especially Kafka) refer to and experience situations that resemble pieces of literature that range from Greek classics (like the Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice) to Japanese legends (which I failed to recognize) and everything in between. In this sense it reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, though its approach was more metaphorical and philosophical than direct. The magic was very soft, never really becoming a system or having anything resembling rules, sort of like a Studio Ghibli movie (Spirited Away comes to mind). It was crazy and sudden and weird and very strange when it happened, sometimes due to it being hard to imagine or picture in your head.
As far as character, I was more invested in Kafka, at least until the middle or two-thirds point, mainly because of his proactiveness and the questions that arose from some of his actions. That said, during the later half of the book, his chapters got very abstract and really weird (especially some of the romantic situations), which marred my enjoyment. I did, however, appreciate how his arc ended, with a closing-the-circle that was very much up my alley. The only part I wasn’t convinced by was that one of the main mysteries was revealed, which I felt took away from Kafka’s journey.
Nakata’s journey was much more bland to begin with but ended up getting really interesting and providing some of the best moments in the book, especially after Hishimo joins him. While he wasn’t too proactive or leaped into action, he was interesting due to how he affected people and how they reacted to him. The mystery behind the accident that changed him as a kid was also a big cause of my enjoyment, as was the development of his relationship with Hishimo. Finally, I have no faults regarding the ending or his arc turned out.
As far as some of the other elements go, they never stood out but they also didn’t detract from the story. The prose was good but not the best I’ve seen and I didn’t feel much in the sense of theme.
Overall, this was a very interesting read that offered a distinct approach to writing fantasy with a more literary approach. That said, some of the elements surrounding the romantic relationships could put some people off as they veer into incest.
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