As you might have noticed from previous reviews, I’m a great fan of Japanese literature. I’m also a great fan of Haruki Murakami as well as Kafka (one of Murakami’s inspirations). And so, Kafka on the Shore felt like a great fit. Alas, it’s probably the most disappointing Murakami story I’ve read.
Why that is will be interesting to analyze, as there are important lessons to learn about how to write symbolism, among other things.
In a nutshell, it takes quite some… skill to alienate your readers from the perspective of symbolism in a context of magical realism.
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