71 pages 2 hours read

Haruki Murakami

Kafka on the Shore

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2002

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Chapters 29–32

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 29 Summary

Kafka calls Sakura from a phone at the library; it’s Friday. He feels bad about not having contacted her since he stayed with her the previous Wednesday night, though he has been very busy, especially considering the nightly visitations from Miss Saeki’s living spirit.

He tells Sakura that he enjoys talking with her because she helps him stay connected to reality. She recommends that he get out of where he is and invites him to stay with her. She feels like he’s her little brother, so she is available any time he might need help.

That night, the living spirit that visits his room is of present-day Miss Saeki, instead of the young girl. Kafka can see that she’s asleep, and she’s not aware of what she is doing. She takes off her clothes and gets into bed with Kafka and makes love to him. Then she gets dressed and leaves. Kafka knows that she believes she is making love to her lost love.

Chapter 30 Summary

Hoshino and Colonel Sanders scramble over the wall around the shrine’s property and venture into the woods. Colonel Sanders explains that he is a non-corporeal being and needs Hoshino’s help to complete a task that is important to him.