“Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami (translated by Philip Gabriel)

Murakami mixes detailed realism with the wildly fantastic so fluidly that one hardly notices (at first) that cats are talking to humans. ““Not to boast or anything, but I can’t write either,” the cat said, licking the pads of his right paw. “I’d say my mind is average, though, so I’ve never found it inconvenient.”” Colonel Sanders and Johnny Walker also make appearances, in the flesh. ““In everything there’s a proper order,” Johnny Walker said. “You can’t look too far ahead. Do that and you’ll lose sight of what you are doing and stumble.”” But, at the heart of Murakami’s novel is a coming of age story- one filled with loss, regret, and redemption. “Kafka, in everybody’s life there’s a point of no return. And in a very few cases, a point where you can’t go forward anymore. And when we reach that point, all we can do is quietly accept the fact. That’s how we survive.” The plot patiently unfolds as connected mysteries resolve. It is not in a hurry. “Slowly, like a movie fadeout, the real world evaporates. I’m alone, inside the world of the story. My favorite feeling in the world.”

Books, history, dreams, love, and memory all play integral roles in the novel. “When I open them, most of the books have the smell of an earlier time leaking out between the pages—a special odor of the knowledge  and emotions that for ages have been calmly resting between the covers.” Societal norms and familial bonds also are recurring themes. “As individuals each of us is extremely isolated, while at the same time we are all linked by a prototypical memory.” There are plenty of tangents and asides- digressions on Schubert, Sophocles, Beethoven, haiku, surfing, and, of course, Franz Kafka. “Works that have a certain imperfection to them have an appeal for that very reason—or at least they appeal to certain types of people…. all the performances are imperfect. A dense, artistic kind of imperfection stimulates your consciousness, keeps you alert.” There is also plenty of philosophy packed within the story. Murakami makes you think about metaphysical issues. “Necessity is an independent concept. It has a different structure from logic, morals, or meaning. Its function lies entirely in the role it plays. What doesn’t play a role shouldn’t exist. What necessity requires does need to exist.” The narration rotates between the first and third person as the plot follows a pair of protagonists. As their stories intertwine things get even weirder and truths reveal themselves. “As long as there’s such a thing as time, everybody’s damaged in the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or later.”