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Book Review: Kafka on the Shore (Murakami)

Murakami's books never provide the resolution I would like to see, but they always leave me with a deep emotional aftertaste, usually a reflection of loneliness and sadness. It has the effect more of a song, where the story is not as important as the mood, and that mood is what carries the power of the work. Here, the book uses a mysterious occurance in World War 2 and a 15-year-old runaway to create suspense and draw you in to the story deep enough to be able to handle the fantastical elements that occur later. Part of me wishes the story would stay more grounded in reality, since the rules of the magical elements are not, can not, be explained, but Murakami is able to keep it just enough in check to try to convey meanings that are difficult to convey through words, as some of the characters directly comment on. He always provides a convincing sense of real world places, even if I have never been anywhere similar, and people, who listen to music and have to take dumps and don't always know what they are doing. I think this book's examination of the desire to try to hold on to a single perfect moment (and the cost of this as well) is interesting, but did not quite grab me at a deep level. Perhaps it is not something I try to do? Or perhaps I am unaware of doing it? Perhaps I am too quick to try to move on sometimes.