Kafka On The Shore - Review

AUTHOR: Haruki Murakami
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2002
ISBN: 978-0-099-45832-6
GENRE: Speculative Fiction

EXCERPT:

Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father's dark prophecy. 

The ageing Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his pleasantly simplified life suddenly turned upside down.

As their parallel odysseys unravel, cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghost-like pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since World War II. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle- one of many which combine to create an elegant and dreamlike masterpiece.

REVIEW:

You read one book by the author; you either get hooked to them or vow to not read them again. Murakami has me mystified, my first was Norwegian Wood and this is my second. To say that both the books are out of the world and amazing would be an understatement. Partly because they both are so very contrasting in the way they've been written. The former having a taste of realistic-ness while this book is all metaphysical, illusory and self-bounding transporting you to a world of dreams.

"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.”  - Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the Shore follows the parallel plot that moves towards a common goal at the same time, interlinked together. It's a story of a 15-year old teenage boy Kafka Tamura hailing from Nakano Ward who runs away from home from his self-absorbed father to Takamatsu, Shikoku; seeking shelter in a quiet private library. At the same time an ageing old not so bright man named Nakata who has the unique ability to converse with cats, goes on a mission to finding a missing cat and eventually predicts fishes and leeches falling from the sky. Weird isn't it?

The novel is inspired by the Oedipus mythology, or rather the dark Oedipal Curse that Kafka's father inflicts on him. 

"The term Oedipus complex (or, less commonly, Oedipal complex) denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrates upon a child's desire to have sexual relations with the parent of the opposite sex ."

Like every other Murakami novel there is beer and sex with the addition of blood, lots of blood in this one. The journey of Kafka and how he shifts from his conscious to unconscious mind with a lot of theories, philosophies, Japanese literature the Soseki haiku's  and concerto music like Schubert and Schumann accompanying us. It takes you to a magical realm full of depth that forces you to think.

The best thing about the novel is the way it is written, it flows seamlessly transporting you to a land of illusions and dreams. It's compelling in the most primal form and pulls you within. And despite being so addictive you cannot read this in one sitting, you need to read re-read and sometimes take a break. 

Now comes the cons, they are not cons in the real sense but they are, if you know what I mean. The book is full of riddles. No doubt riddles are fascinating but these they left me in a lurch. An excerpt from the writer's own words goes as,

"In an interview posted on his English language website, Murakami says that the secret to understanding the novel lies in reading it several times: "Kafka on the Shore contains several riddles, but there aren't any solutions provided. Instead, several of these riddles combine, and through their interaction the possibility of a solution takes shape. And the form this solution takes will be different for each reader. To put it another way, the riddles function as part of the solution. It's hard to explain, but that's the kind of novel I set out to write".

A complex novel no doubt, there are things that I re-read (I could not read the whole novel again 505 pages you see). It's the kind of novel that stays with you, for a long long time. 

A must read if you love quality fiction !

RATING: 9.5/10

PRICE: Rs. 349

BINDING: Paperback

PAGES: 505

The Homing Pigeons - Review

AUTHOR: Sid Bahri
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2013
ISBN: 978-93-80349-91-6
GENRE: Romance, Drama

EXCERPT: 

"Not all love stories are perfect, but then, neither are people." 

They say Homing Pigeons always come back to their mate, no matter where you leave them on the face of this earth. Homing Pigeons is the story of love between these two unsuspecting characters as it is of lust, greed, separations, prejudices and crumbling spines. 

This is the story of Aditya and Radhika.

REVIEW:

So this book comes out for review around mid 2013, but I don't really get it for review because I've shut down my blog temporarily. That's basically what's happening since past some months with my poor blog. So anyways, despite me not reading it I end up hearing awesome reviews about it but bad luck I don't land myself, every time I think I'll buy it or I'll ask a friend to lend me hers something happens and the plan stops even before executing. Now around November end December, Readers Cosmos suddenly asks me I still have a copy of this book would you mind reviewing it. And I jump on the opportunity. I receive the book by December and I even end up reading it, gushing about it and everything but yes I don't blog about it. Reasons I'm not stating again, but finally I put to electronic paper my words. 

The moment you pick up the book, read the blurb at the back you get that feeling of a love story although a weird feeling, like there is bound to be something that will strike a chord with you. You turn the pages and you're lost in a world of relationships, drama, emotions and the complexities and small joys that comes from being in love with someone, the pain and agony too that's a part of it. 

What I loved about it the most was the narration, it flows like a calm undisturbed river. It is so flawless that at times you don't realize you're reading a first time author. Sid Bahri has woven the words so beautifully that you can't resist putting the book down. Another magical thing is, the writing is so friendly it almost speaks to you. The characters speak to you and you fall in love with them. 

The story revolves around a guy Aditya, this career and how he has lost his job in a time of recession. How he is drowning away his grief in a bar and ends up meeting this lady there, who eventually changes the very course of his life. Alternatively we have Radhika whose story is going on parallel with the first one, a wealthy young widow who has just recently married of her step daughter to claim the riches of her deceased husband. 

The above lines simply don't do any justice to the plot. It thickens with every page you turn and the more it complicates the more it engulfs you in it. It is more like sometimes you don't know where it is all going and then suddenly it all falls into place and you're left gaping amazed. 

Though this book is not all sugary sweet on the flip side it is at times a little slow paced with loads of flashbacks jumping in the middle and has a very dramatic Indian hindi movie feel. It's not bad it's just a little disappointing in certain places. 

On a whole, this book is good. It's not over the top and it explores love in ways more than one and with great subtlety. Lastly, you can't help but fall in love with the book once you've read it. So do read it, it makes you believe in love.

RATING: 7/10

PRICE: Rs. 150

BINDING: Paperback

PAGES: 318

"This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com"

Me Before You - Review

AUTHOR: Jojo Moyes

FIRST PUBLISHED: 2012

ISBN: 978-07-181578-38

GENRE: Romance

EXCERPT: 

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

REVIEW:

There are some stories that touch the very soul; this is one of those stories. By the end of it I had tears streaming down my face. And it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that it’s over. It made me emotional and though my life bears no resemblance to the story I felt connected. Also though the genre says this is a romance novel, this is much more than romance.

Louisa ‘Lou’ Clark is a regular girl living an ordinary life in a small town with her parents and grandfather. Having recently lost her job at a small café and being hard pressed at money she lands a job as the care taker of a quadriplegic Will Traynor. The story follows the bonding of Lou and Will. The various medical and emotional issues that Will faces and how Lou handles them, sometimes effectively sometimes otherwise.

The author has researched brilliantly on quadriplegia, the complexities of being in that state coupled with the emotional and mental condition. There is a lot of depth in the story, it is not just about a paralyzed person but even the other supporting characters that of the parents, sibling, friends and lovers. The story chalks out wonderfully with a different perspective of every personality. Some stories force you to contemplate, this is one of them. It not only makes you think it stirs your heart, makes you smile and even clenches you tightly with the sentiments.

Saying that it is not beautiful or it didn’t touch my heart would be an understatement. I was so moved by the plot that even now when I’m writing this review, the scenes are playing in my mind like a movie. I felt like I was living with Lou and Will, experiencing the desires and even the deep sated loneliness.

The story is enigmatic, not in the mysterious way but in a life changing manner. There is a profound sadness the kind that is so powerful enough it shakes you completely. When I read the story at first I felt it is a depressing one but on further realization it dawned on me, it makes you emotionally vulnerable. It is more of relatable intricate plot albeit a painful one.

The one thing that is best about it is love that spills from it. People generally these days have a notion love is just about physical relationship, in short materialistic. This story explores love in a different dimension. Friendship, care, companionship these are the feelings that truly make or break a relationship. The constant courage being to be for one and other, till death do us part is explored beautifully. It is much more than romance.

There is a lot to say, but then some things are best experienced. This is a story where you are bound to laugh with the characters in their times of happiness and also you’re so moved in times of grief that you can’t help but cry.

This story in a way talks about the writer, the way she writes. She wins you totally. It is easy to write happy stories but to write painful ones requires a great deal more. Me Before You, in simple words is an intensely emotional and a heart touching story.

Do not miss this one!

RATING: 9.8/10

PRICE: Rs.693
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 480

Love, Peace & Happiness - Review

AUTHOR: Rituraj Verma
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2012

ISBN: 978-93-81836-34-7

GENRE: Anthology of short stories

EXCERPT: 

Each story centers on the life of an urban middle class character caught in a set of circumstances beyond his or her control. A hindu girl living in with a muslim boy is suddenly in the glare of global media in a reality TV show, a divorced cynical man faces the prospects of committing himself to a prostitute, a highly talented small town girl must chose between life and death. All must resolve the conflicts within their beliefs. 

REVIEW:

It was a normal day; everything was the same with the same old routine when I got a mail from the author himself asking me to review his book on the other blog that I managed. I was astonished but nevertheless accepted the offer. 

The cover was the very first thing that impressed me, it was the perfect culmination of the title and though it was simple it held you, the same cannot be said about the title. This novel is a collection of several short stories. Every story has a different theme yet the core genre is maintained throughout. The book comprises of a total of nine different stories each circulating around the relationships, way of living, trials and tribulations that the normal person faces. How these factors are responsible for impacting the various spheres of life and most importantly relationship. 

What is good about this book is that it is nicely written, the characters as well as the circumstances are relatable. The people in the story are real because everyone is different and everyone experiences things differently. There were instances when I felt like questioning the protagonist and even the author, really can someone be so very like this. At that moment I got my answer, “What is meat for one is poison for another!” truly you and I even if we face similar issues we deal with them in our own different manner. And with this concept in mind, the author introduced the concept of alternate ending. This is a very unique idea but personally I did not like it much, reason being simple you read for pleasure for seeking answers to the untold questions. But what if, the story itself leaves you in a dilemma and you end up complicating everything around. This being said, when you actually are able to relate to the character and the circumstances completely. 

For me as a reader who takes in everything this was not a one setting read, it took me a maximum of two days. This happened because I kept on thinking is an alternative end better or was this perfect? The one best thing about this novel is that the stories are not dragged beyond a point, where the reader eventually starts losing interest. The stories keep you engaged and you feel like exploring it. It was like a psyche analysis thing for me, getting to know the characters deeply and relating to them. Though this is not a self help or a healing book, it helps you.

Being a first time author this book was a good attempt to explore love and relationships in another light. Yet there are times when you feel something is missing, maybe it is just because the writing is a bit messed up and rushed up, which could have been avoided. Anyways, it is a simple book that focuses on the current contemporary lifestyle and urban issues, a bit philosophical too which in a way forces you to contemplate in a good way.

Given a choice, would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, I would.   

RATING: 6/10
PRICE: Rs. 145
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 223