MobileRead November 2015 Discussion: Kafka on the Shore (spoilers)

WT Sharpe · 11-19-2015, 10:21 AM

The time has come to discuss the November 2015 MobileRead Book Club selection, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. What did you think?

Dazrin · 11-20-2015, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

...Kafka on the Shore by Voltaire...

By Voltaire? That could be an interesting book. And certainly wouldn't be referencing Franz.

WT Sharpe · 11-20-2015, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

By Voltaire? That could be an interesting book. And certainly wouldn't be referencing Franz.

Damned autocorrect. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Fixed now. Good catch.

WT Sharpe · 11-20-2015, 03:03 PM

I really enjoyed this one. Nakata's death was perhaps a bit too tidy a way of delivering him out of his legal problems, but short of having him also move through the gateway, there was not much hope for a happy end for his character. Nagata, and later Hoshino, were quite compelling characters. It really didn't come as much of a surprise when Hoshino found he had gained Nagata's ability to converse with cats. Like just about all the other "facts" we encountered in this book, it was never made clear whether Miss Saeki was Kafka's mother, or whether Sakura was his sister. I kind of doubt they were. Perhaps the best way to make sense out of everything that occurred is to assume that young Kafka was a mentally disturbed kid and that much if not most or all of his experiences had arisen from his own diseased mind, although the supernatural explanation is compelling as well. That might explain as well the author's jumping from writing the tale in the first person when Kafka was involved but switching to third person narrative form for all the other action.

HomeInMyShoes · 11-20-2015, 03:03 PM

As bizarre as the storyline was, I found it a very meditative and contemplative read on memory and how who we are is really bound up in our memory of things.

Not my favorite Murakami book, but it was definitely enjoyable. Thumbs up from me for a very interesting book club read.

11-19-2015, 10:21 AM	#1
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	November 2015 Discussion: Kafka on the Shore (spoilers) The time has come to discuss the November 2015 MobileRead Book Club selection, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. What did you think? Last edited by WT Sharpe; 11-20-2015 at 02:34 PM.

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11-20-2015, 03:03 PM	#4
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I really enjoyed this one. Nakata's death was perhaps a bit too tidy a way of delivering him out of his legal problems, but short of having him also move through the gateway, there was not much hope for a happy end for his character. Nagata, and later Hoshino, were quite compelling characters. It really didn't come as much of a surprise when Hoshino found he had gained Nagata's ability to converse with cats. Like just about all the other "facts" we encountered in this book, it was never made clear whether Miss Saeki was Kafka's mother, or whether Sakura was his sister. I kind of doubt they were. Perhaps the best way to make sense out of everything that occurred is to assume that young Kafka was a mentally disturbed kid and that much if not most or all of his experiences had arisen from his own diseased mind, although the supernatural explanation is compelling as well. That might explain as well the author's jumping from writing the tale in the first person when Kafka was involved but switching to third person narrative form for all the other action.

11-20-2015, 03:03 PM	#5
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	As bizarre as the storyline was, I found it a very meditative and contemplative read on memory and how who we are is really bound up in our memory of things. Not my favorite Murakami book, but it was definitely enjoyable. Thumbs up from me for a very interesting book club read.

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