Kafka on the Shore

'Kafka on the Shore' is the latest novel from acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. As with many Murakami novels, the book follows two plots that alternate between chapters, winding their way together before crashing headfirst in the final pages. The odd chapters document the story of Kafka, a 15-year-old boy who leaves his home in search of his mother and sister. The even chapters relate the tale of Nakata, an elderly man with the rare ability to converse with cats. Putting his skill to use, Nakata works part-time as a cat detective, locating and returning missing felines. One such case sets him off on a journey that whisks him from his home and, ultimately, brings his story and Kafka's together. The two stories' convergence, however, is much more metaphysical than actual, and accounts for much of the confusion 'Kafka on the Shore' can generate. Indeed, throughout the book, occurrences form a reality that is shaded-gray, and always a little out of focus: fish rain down from the sky; men dressed as Colonel Sanders offer sage wisdom instead of fried chicken; people sleep for weeks on end. This surrealist tendency is common for Murakami, as his stories, and especially 'Kafka on the Shore' progress with Dylan-esque plots, both fantastical and profound. Laden with a stark sexuality and set against the ghost of World War II, 'Kafka on the Shore' creates a specter-like world of its own, both harrowingly familiar and completely different. Understanding and grasping the magical realism of 'Kafka on the Shore' and making sense of it, however, may take more than one read.