Kafka on the Shore: Everything is a metaphor

'Kafka on the Shore' is my first Murakami novel. As a matter of fact, this is my first read in Japanese literature and I must say, I’m not at all disappointed! In a way this book is bizarre, eccentric and even obscure. Many of the readers might toss it away after reading the first few pages, thinking it to be making absolutely no sense. But but, trust me when I say this,

This Bizarreness is Addictive.
This Eccentricity is Hypnotic.
This Obscurity is Spellbinding.

The book has two apparently unrelated stories running parallel to each other.
One of the stories is about Kafka Tamura who aims to be the toughest 15 year old boy. He is a runaway from home and after a series of adventure, finds refuge in a private library at Takamatsu. Kafka is not only running away from his house and his father, but also from his past, where his mother and sister abandoned him when he was just four; and from his father’s prophecy, a curse which has been haunting Kafka ever since he understood it. His head is full of conflicting thoughts, several theories, unanswered questions, and blurred memories. He falls hopelessly in love with the spirit of a memory, with a hope of reliving it again and again, until forever.

The other story is about Mister Nakata, a victim to some strange unknown event which resulted in a loss of his memories and his ability to read and write. Instead he can talk to cats, all shapes and kinds! Inspite of all his disabilities, Nakata is the one chosen by fate to set few things straight. Inspite of his warm and child-like simplicity, his ability to have a comfortable conversation with cats, make fishes and leeches rain from the sky, let the path choose him rather than he choosing the path, knowledge of the secret behind the Entrance Stone, adds up and provides a subtle mystery to his character.

Even the other characters have been sketched spectacularly.
Oshima, an extremely well-read gay trapped in a woman’s body, understands Kafka’s journey and is always ready to help and guide him in every possible way. His likeability increases with each turning page.
"Whatever it is you’re seeking won’t come in the form you’re expecting."
"It's like Tolstoy said. Happiness is an allegory, unhappiness a story."

Miss Saeki, the library manager, has a past which somehow intertwines with Kafka’s. She is almost dead inside and is now just waiting mechanically for things to take their course.
"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart."

Hoshino, the truck-driver who helps Mister Nakata a lot through his journey, is as ignorant about Nakata’s mission as the readers. He is more like a reader representative in the story. He asks Nakata the questions that you would want to ask. He hangs by Nakata’s each and every word and never once loses his trust in the weird, old man.
"My grandpa always said asking a question is embarrassing for a moment, but not asking is embarrassing for a lifetime."

Little words of wisdom and philosophical learnings are powdered throughout the book, making it all the more delicious.

"With each new dawn it’s not the same world as the day before. And you’re not the same person you were, either."

"There are all sorts of cats – just as there’re all sorts of people."

"In dreams begin responsibility."

Kafka and Nakata have the paths of their lives converging on a metaphysical level, creating an aura of endless metaphors, kept open for all kinds of interpretations. Just as the book begins, it kisses farewell to the so-called reality; and the surrealism that then follows, makes the story as alluring as possible. Even Mister Nakata starting a casual conversation with some stray cat and talking about the local weather seems to be the most usual of all things, such is the effect of the spell.
The symbolism- sandstorms, labyrinth, cats, crow and the choice of contrast between the ‘concepts’ of the evil Johnny Walker (yes, the scotch guy) and the good Colonel Sanders (KFC!), was absolutely magical.

The book is not about giving up to your fate, but is about courage. Courage to face. Courage to cherish memories, both, wanted and unwanted. Courage to know yourself. Courage to accept yourself.
What I have understood of ‘Kafka on the Shore’, in the first read, might be just a small fraction of the treasure this book holds. The Japanese traditions mentioned, the scholars quoted, the philosophical remarks, the artists mentioned, the historical relevance, will definitely offer more once they have been well researched. The book has so many riddles to be solved, so many metaphors to be deciphered. Re-reading this book in light of research will perhaps be the only key to unearth this treasure chest completely!

Concluding it in the words of Mr. Murakami, himself -

"Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads – at least that’s where I imagine it – there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in a while, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you’ll live for ever in your own private library."