Book Review: Kafka on the Shore

Like I said, this book didn’t interest me at all with its exterior, but after reading it I think they should change the cover to do it more justice.

I was telling C that I don’t read much fantasy when he pointed out that “fish raining from the sky” and “soldiers in a forest that never age” are more fantasy than anything else. I wanted to argue that this is then a different sort of fantasy without elves and shit but couldn’t do so without sounding like a moron, so I guess Kafka on the Shore IS fantasy.

The story follows two characters in alternating chapters. One of them is Kafka Tamura, a 15-year-old boy who ran away from home to escape his father’s curse; the other is Nakata, an elderly man who due to a childhood accident can speak to cats but is otherwise very intellectually impaired. As expected, their fates intertwine significantly, however they never actually meet. Because of the Oedipal curse placed on Kafka and the way the story revolves around it, the book has been called a modern Greek tragedy. Just one of the things I learnt from it, it’s in some ways very educational :)

After reading it once I have a strong feeling that I haven’t fully grasped the meaning of the story. S said he’ll read it too and fill in the gaps for me so hurry up S. I’m going to read it again in any case.

“Murakami states that the secret to understanding the novel lies in reading it multiple times”. Well there you go.

I really loved the descriptions of all the people and places. I had my Lonely Planet guide for Japan on hand and looked up all the places mentioned in the book and this made the whole thing seem a whole lot more real. Characters in the book wore Ray-Bans and Polos and Chucks and used Mont Blanc pens instead of sunglasses and white/blue/green/yellow shirts and sneakers.

There’s one part I remember particularly well. Nakata is lead into a house where he meets a man who is really surprised that Nakata doesn’t recognise him. The man is wearing a red blazer, a black top hat, white pants and long black leather boots. When he points his attire out to Nakata as a hint, the latter still doesn’t get it. The man then stands up and sticks one leg out as if he’s frozen in the act of walking and I think to myself, Johnnie Walker?! But that’s ridiculous, right? I abandon the thought and read on and the guy IS ACTUALLY JOHNNIE WALKER. Anyway, this part is memorable more so for what follows this unexpected revelation of identity but I won’t spoil it.

So when a short little old man wearing a white suit and a string tie appears later on, I’m not so surprised to find that he’s Colonel Sanders.

I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore if you like something a little surreal, a bit meaningful and at the same time addictive to read. I’m going to read it again but for the time being it’s a 8/10.

Kafka on the Shore

The literal application of not judging a book by it’s cover is really hard to follow.

A couple of days ago I bought Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami for no reason other than the big “International Best Seller” on its front cover and the completely illogical fact that I should read Japanese fiction before going to Japan. The blurb was snore. The cover was a cat which I guess helped a bit. Anyway, I was reluctant to even start reading because it seemed THAT uninteresting but once I got started it was very deep, disturbing and crazy addictive and now I have about one fifth left which I’m sure I’ll finish tomorrow despite the fact that I bought it for the plane trip.

This was actually a massive post which I reduced to the first and last paragraphs because I was just such a rambler inbetween.

Danbert Brangdon

Was discussing this with S. We noticed that most publicity photos of Dan Brown e.g. the one on the back cover of his books feature him looking like the exact description of Robert Langdon.

So we thought, obviously this guy is writing about himself. “… described as looking like “Harrison Ford in Harris tweed”, with his standard attire being a turtleneck, Harris Tweed jacket, khakis, and collegiate cordovan loafers …”

And look!

Book Review: April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day by Bryce Courtenay is a story about Damon, Bryce’s son, who was born a classic haemophiliac and not only missed out on a normal childhood but contracted HIV from one of his many blood transfusions. Throughout Damon’s short life the whole family endured the constant emotional strain associated with haemophilia and the many injustices of the Australian health care system. At the time, little was known about HIV/AIDS but a lot of stigma was associated with it. Before Damon died at the age of 24 he asked his father to write a book for him.

During one of our ethics lectures, Betty Chaar read some excerpts from April Fool’s Day, I think to illustrate what a jerkface the health care system was. One exerpt told how a doctor deliberately witheld the information that Damon was a haemophiliac from his parents after his birth, because the doctor decided the family should “have Christmas first” and thought he did them a huge favour. Another exerpt was about another doctor denying Damon’s mother into his room after a bleed in his head because she would “react badly”.

I was interested and bought the book after lectures. Only because I was in Co-Op anyway buying our business management textbook. I’m eager beaver but not THAT eager beaver.

It took me four days to finish and I’ve forgotten most of the small details but I know a little more about haemophilia and HIV/AIDS now. I always thought that haemophiliacs only needed to be careful not to bump themselves or fall over or graze or cut their skin. I thought if they had no accidents they would be perfectly normal. But bleeds don’t always follow trauma. Apparently they can happen spontaneously, even when the person is sitting or lying down doing nothing at all.

Book Review: The Book Thief

I know I didn’t think very highly of Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief a couple of weeks ago when I was 90% through, but after reading the last 10% I’ve completely changed my mind.

Blurb by amazon.com:

“1939 – Nazi Germany – The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information – this novel is narrated by death. It’s a small story, about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know – Death will visit the book thief three times.”