Kafka on the Shore

While I am not too defensive of Murakami's pattern of misogyny, I feel "Kafka on the Shore" is the exception. Kafka’s sexual encounters with figures resembling his mother and sister are best understood as parabolic, not literal. Rooted in the Oedipal curse he believes he's under, these experiences reflect fate and identity, rather than erotic desire/gratuitous male fantasy. Murakami blurs the line between the subconscious and reality, using allegory in a fascinating way to explore existentialism.