#23 in Crime & mystery
Kafka on the Shore
- 576
- Pages
- about 11 h
- Reading time
- World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
- Premio Arcebispo Xoán de San Clemente de novela estranxeira
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About the book
Kafka on the Shore is a 2002 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Its 2005 English translation was among "The 10 Best Books of 2005" from The New York Times and received the World Fantasy Award for 2006. The book tells the stories of the young Kafka Tamura, a bookish 15-year-old boy who runs away from his Oedipal curse, and Satoru Nakata, an old, mentally disabled man with the uncanny ability to talk to cats. The book incorporates themes of music as a communicative conduit, metaphysics, dreams, fate, and the subconscious.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.0 across 94 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 34% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Crime & mystery average of 7.6. That is how 8.1 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 94 | 100% |
Frequently asked
What is Kafka on the Shore rated?
8.1 out of 10, from 94 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is Kafka on the Shore worth reading?
Readers give it 8.1/10 from 94 ratings, which puts it ahead of 89 % of the Crime & mystery shelf.
How long does it take to read Kafka on the Shore?
About 11 hours at an average reading pace — 576 pages.
Where does Kafka on the Shore rank?
#23 in Crime & mystery on the current snapshot.
How long is Kafka on the Shore?
It has 576 pages — longer than 64% of the ranked books in Crime & mystery.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Crime & mystery — with scores between 8.0 and 8.2, closest to this book.
