Book Blog #2 Kafka On The Shore

"Man alive, how'd you get all that blood all ever you? What the hell were you doing? But you don't remember a thing, do you? No wounds on you, though, that's a relief. No real pain, either - except for the throbbing in your left shoulder. So the blood's gotta be from somebody else, not you. Somebody else's blood" (71).

Kafka On The Shore is a book full of mystery. This fact becomes clear from 10 pages in. This passage is short but the mystery theme is presented clearly. This passage comes from the subconscious of the character Kafka. Unlike my blog before this one this passage is very straight forward and to the point. Kafka has woken up in the middle of a shrine realizing that he is covered in someone elses blood and his left shoulder is throbbing. Can you get any more straight forward then that? All signs lead to that he has committed a crime. There are no metaphors, similes, hidden messages. Finding prominent straight forward passages in this book seem to be rare commodity. This passage also leaves the reader asking himself; where did this blood come from, why is Murakami leading us on with such little information? It is good writing. In some ways you could call this part of the book, this passage, a mini climax. Of course, more question arise throughout the rest of the book, but this passage orientates many of those questions to come, at least the questions pertaining to Kafka. Haruki Murakami's style of writing is all about anticipation. From this point onward anticipation grows and grows which employes the reader to continue to find the answers. If writing has any trick to entertain, it is anticipation. I feel that all good novels have this elimental chicanery, and Haruki Murakami definately knows how to use this writing device to his andvantage.