Haruki Murakami is a peculiar man. The son of a Buddhist priest and a literature teacher, before being the great writer he is today, he studied theater, wanted to be a screenwriter, worked for a record company and owned a jazz bar. A rather strange mix, or at least unusual for the generally quiet and goal-oriented lives of writers. His works follow the same line, being also, at least, very peculiar.
Kafka on the shore was launched in 2002, although it was released in Spain, for example, in 2005. Originally a cult author, today his fame is already big and his books are sold wholesale.
In the novel we are told two interspersed stories, but incredibly related. Incredible like all the work.
A story features Kafka Tamura, a 15-year-old boy, abandoned by his mother and sister, living with his father with whom he has a relationship very complicated. It is then that he runs away from his home to Takamatsu Island and begins an adventure. He will meet, for example, a transvestite librarian, and an older woman, Saeki, with whom he will have an affair. The origin of the novel's title precisely lies in the story of Saeki, who was a famous singer for her song Kafka on the shore. This perhaps suggests that between Saeki and Kafka there is actually somerelationship type.
The other story is even more bizarre. The main actor will be Satoru NakataFirstly, we are told about an accident he had when he was a child, where he and his schoolmates went on a field trip and strangely they all fainted. Nothing happened to anyone except Satoru. He lost his memory but gained an ability: he can talk to cats…
The relationship between these characters is almost unremarkable, and although it seems that Murakami brings things from hair, it is his style that is like that.
