Kafka On The Shore - Review

I started reading Kafka on the shore by Murakami Haruki right before Thanksgiving started, then finished it yesterday. I guess it took about a week. 

I've never read any of Haruki's novels before, even though I always thought that I would someday. Then I found this e-book online (I was bored at work), which I could find only in English, not in Korean, so I picked it up. Before reading this novel, I had an obsession that I want to read the Japanese novel that is translated to Korean - since Japanese language is more closely related to Korean than English. However, this book gave me a whole new perspective about what effective translation can do. It is impressive how this Japanese is very smoothly translated into English, capable of giving readers very vivid images of Japanese culture. Maybe because this novel is full of typical images of Japan - such as a person capable of talking to cats, typical submissive and quiet atmosphere all throughout the book. One of my friends told me Japaneses are very good at translating into English. Maybe something Koreans should learn - even though I haven't read a single korean book that was translated into English, that is a shame. 

There is not much to review but I want to leave a record. 

Even though there wasn't any relationship defined in the book, but somehow I felt that Kafka and Nakata must be related somehow, like their souls are connected or so. The structure of the book itself (two parallel stories) is implying that, in my opinion. Toward the end of two different stories converges together, I felt that it is presenting parallel universe between Kafka' world and Nakata's. Nakata lost his conscious and went dumb when he was around 15, likewise is Kafka' age. Both are from Tokyo, eventually end up in Komura library. Two of them shed blood the night Johnnie Walker, supposedly Kafka's father, was killed. Nakata opened the entrance stone for Kafka to access the other side of the world, to have one last conversation with Ms. Saeki.

At the end there is nothing conclusive or resolute about Kafka's "hypothesis" or his father's "scar" on him -- that Kafka will kill his father, and he will be with sister and mother. When Kafka and Ms. Saeki met in the other world deep in the wood, my assumption was that Ms. Saeki is indeed his mother, but that's just my intepretation. Same applies for Sakura. She is the only other girl than Miss Saeki that Kafka has sexual relationship with, but their relationship was never defined. For the sake of "prophecy", that's how it should be, but who knows. 

I enjoyed the reading much, as throughout the book, it gave me constant desire to turn to next page. Open ending leaves room for readers for their own interpretation, which this book has many factors to consider about. Maybe I will read Norwegian Woods after I finish the book that I am reading today.