# Who else has read Kafka on the Shore? (Spoilers aplenty!)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-kafka-on-the-shore-spoilers-aplenty/302943>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 8, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-kafka-on-the-shore-spoilers-aplenty/302943 "2005-05-08T19:31:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-kafka-on-the-shore-spoilers-aplenty/302943/1 "2005-05-08T19:31:21Z")

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It’s my first Murakami. I’ve been recommended Norweigian Wood as well, which I’m planning to purchase tomorrow.

Kafka on the Shore is a very user-friendly book, to say the least. I expected more pretension from an export author, but for all the weirdness and pseudoincestual bits I found it very wholesome, very charming. Some of the the references, especially to older literature, were given too much expository treatment, but I guess Murakami was just being considerate to his Japanese readers. I’m still trying to finalize my theories about the Nakata/Kafka relationship and the Snake, and might take a second trip through the book to confirm them. Meanwhile, feel free to post any of your theories.

(Anyone else think that the Orpheus allusion near the end was incredibly pretty?)