Finally, I finished reading this book. I must say the storyline is too complicated - I wonder whether it has to do with existentialism.The first character was Kafka, a fifteen year old boy who ran away from home and worked in a private library which acted as shelter. Then the father was found brutally murdered and the police were looking for him. Then he slept with library owner, someone much much older than him, who turned out to be his own mother - Oedipus Rex in a more modern world?
The second character was Nakata, an old man with amnesia (or was he with autism?). Other than being able to make the fish and leeches fall from the sky, he also had the ability to converse with cats and he helped to find lost pets. One day, he met someone by the name of Johnnie Walker who killed cats (and the scene was described in great detail, it was too gory for me). Then Nakata killed the wicked cat murderer and went out in search of a magic stone. And Johnnie Walker happened to be Kafka's father.
Surprisingly, these two characters' paths never crossed in the novel. Nakata died in his sleep and Kafka decided to go back to college - that was the end, ladies and gentlemen. Definitely too philosophical for me to understand. This must be a good novel as it has been translated into many languages and you see the different covers for the same novel. Thank god I finished reading this - I must have already read a masterpiece of a Japanese author.
NOTE: This book was given by an ex-student, Miss Sofea Adelynn Musa (do I spell your name correctly?) and she even took the trouble posting this to me. Thanks again Sofea.
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