Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakamiby Haruki Murakami
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
Readers call it fun, easy and hard to put down, with real substance, and a good starting point for Murakami.
Readers call it fun, easy and hard to put down, with real substance, and a good starting point for Murakami.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fun, easy reads with substance
“fun and easy reads that have meat on the bone”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “The Age of Reading Is Over” Hard to put down
“Couldn't put them down, both were terrific.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Good starting point
“are a good starting point”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Kafka on the Shoreby Haruki MurakamiThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“She really liked it and I've done it since.”
“fun and easy reads that have meat on the bone”
“are a good starting point”
“Couldn't put them down, both were terrific.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.