#2: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (finished January 16)
What a mind-bender of a book. Similarly to Infinite Jest, this is definitely a novel that would probably make more sense on the second (or third, or fourth) read, but it was immensely satisfying the first time, as well. The book features two main characters: Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old boy hell-bent on escaping an Oedipal prophesy his father placed on him, and Satoru Nakata, a sixty-something-year-old man who became a shell of his former self after an incident during a school field trip left him without any memories, or the ability read or write. Chapters in the book alternate between these two characters’ stories (Kafka’s in first-person, Nakata’s in third) as they each embark on separate but parallel (and largely metaphysical) journeys. There’s really so much to say about this book, but I’d hate to give anything away to those that haven’t read it. I went into it not knowing what to expect at all, and I’d hate to ruin that experience for others. This was my first time reading anything by Murakami, and I’m anxious to pick up more of his novels (and I hope more will soon be available for the Kindle).
