The Plot Thickens!

I really wanted to write a regular blog as I read Kafka on the Shore but work and planning my Christmas holiday has intervened and now I’ve nearly finished it without writing much at all J

This has been a wonderful read, and I can thoroughly recommend it.  There is not one character in the novel that I don’t like, and the two parallel stories are, whilst riveting, totally different from one another.

I love Mr Nagata’s storyline, he is just wonderful, and his quest is so mysterious that even he doesn’t really know what it is until he’s in the right spot or the right thing happens.  Along the way he becomes friends with Hishino, a young truck driver, and due to Nagata’s rememblance to Hoshino’s grandfather he decides to help him. There is a lot of subtle humour between these two characters which really brings a smile to your face.  Hoshino is a really nice laid back young man, and Mr Nagata has had quite a profound life changing effect on him.

Kafka’s storyline is different; he’s not so much on a quest as running from a prophecy (or curse).  Kafka’s father said that Kafka would murder him, and ‘be’ with his mother and sister, this is the same as the Oedipus curse in the Greek legend.  Kafka did not want to fulfill this prophecy and ran away from home, but it seems to be playing out against his will anyway.  This part of the storyline is beautifully written, it’s mystical and poetic and I love the way the narration occasionally shifts perspective. 

So, now the unthinkable has happened to Mr Nagata, which came as quite a shock to me, and Kafka may be leaving our reality.  Things are moving at quite a pace and I can’t wait to see where the storylines will converge.

Staying with the Japanese theme, I will be pick up Spiral by Koji Suzuki from the library tomorrow.  Suzuki has been described as the Japanese ‘Stephen King’ and wrote the successful Ring series so I’m really looking forward to giving him a go.

I've also download what I hope will be very a very interesting audio book by John Irving call A Prayer for Owen Meany which was written as a tribute to The Tin Drum  by Gunter Grass (which I read last year).  It's a biggie so may take a couple of weeks for me to listen to it but it's on the 1001 list and it sounds pretty interesting.

Happy reading everyone!