“It’s all a question of imagination. Our responsibility begins with the power to imagine.” -Haruki Murakami in Kafka on the shore.
Imagine yourself running in a maze. You are confused, dishearten, unaware of the trails. You are curtailed at every turn you take. You keep pushing yourself and at one point, midway, everything makes sense. You comprehend the purpose of this enigma. When you reach the end and look back, you find yourself filled with metaphysical experiences that have changed your perceptions for everything.
This is what "Kafka On The Shore" is. A freaking labyrinth. You enter hoping to have good reading time. And first few 100s of pages, you are confused. You keep solving riddles. Still, you proceed, never give up. Not even think about it. You can't abandon this book. It pulls you to graze it. And not even once you can predict the climax.
What's more interesting is after reading this magical script, you have a changed perception of everything. And when someone asks you to explain this book, you are blank. "Have I not read it thoroughly?" You ask yourself. Try discussing it with someone else who has read it and you'll be amused by the difference in interpretations. That's the liberty you get. The character description in the book is beyond beautiful. It word-for-word feels as though you are dwelling in that world with those very characters, watching them do stuff.
And the two leads, Kafka(though not Kafka) and the aged woman( maybe the mother), their bond, the parallel unspooling of their lives, everything is phenomenal. My God!
Thank you, @haruki_murakami_ , for this enchanted realm of "Umibe no Kafuka" and Philip Gabriel for deciphering it so effectively for the world to encounter this miracle.
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