Kafka on the Shore is Murakami’s best novel yet, outshining The Wind Up Bird Chronicle and Hard Boiled Wonderland[...] by combining an intriguing, page-turning storyline with absurdly profound metaphysical and postmodern philosophy. The parallel-story structure (also used in Hard-Boiled) adds depth to the novel, without slowing the pace of the narrative. Murakami’s characters are fleshed out and become truly human. A must-read, one of those books you literally cannot put down until you finish. I can definitely see how this became a critical and commercial success - it is a masterpiece.