Kafka on the Shore

I just finished a very strange novel called Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, a well-known contemporary Japanese author. It was quite a unique story of a 15-year old runaway whose mother left him when he was 4. I guess it is ultimately about finding meaning and contentment in your life even though you may have been abandoned or disabled, be stupid or even "normal". Each character has his or her own very personal struggles to face and they all, in some way or another, help each other to face them.
Like a lot of Japanese novels, it is interwoven with a bit of fantasy and other-worldliness. It could be a bit hard to follow near the end but its ambiguity makes it all the more thought provoking. You definitely know you are not reading a book by an American author.
I recommend this book it you are looking for something different and something that you may never truly figure out! There are two other books by Murakami I recommend: Norwegian Wood, which is the most famous one among non-Japanese I think, and his non-fiction book called Underground where he put together many interviews he did with those involved in the serin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The interviews are disturbingly vivid and put you right there! What makes it so real is that he includes interviews all all kinds of people involved, from the victims who were riding the subway that day to the station and emergency staff, from relatives of those that died to the members of the cult that was responsible for the attack. He has written several others that I am looking forward to reading.