"Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami

"Kafka on the Shore" does not achieve the same ultra-high voltage effects of "Hard-Boiled Wonderland," but this is a wonderful trip. This is a combination coming-of-age, sci-fi saga, that twists a family up and dumps them in a time warp. There are numerous cultural references, beyond cataloguing here, but this is a very well-read 15 year-old who changes his hame to Kafka, after the famed Czech author. There are oedipal overtones, but nevertheless, this has a strong theme of giving yourself up to love. In 435 pages, the pace doesn't necessarily flag, but I'm still puzzling over some of the everyday minutiae described at such length.

I recommend this book for its strong fantastical element - it's Murakami after all, and because it's so captivating and out there - it's Murakami, after all.