Kafka on the Shore

(2005) Kafka on the Shore is the latest novel by Japan’s leading literary novelist, who developed a world-wide cult reputation with Norwegian WoodIn Kafka on the Shore Murakami continues with his remarkable combination of profound insight into humankind, with a totally credible touch of the fantastical – a unique tour de force. The teenager Kafka Tamura goes on the run, and holes up in a strange library in a small country town. Concurrently, Nakata, a finder of lost cats, goes on a puzzling odyssey across Japan. Only gradually do we find how these stories interweave. An engaging but moving novel. Sean Barrett and Oliver Le Sueur read the parts of the two major characters.