Teetering on the edge of a dreamworld, Haruki Murakami’s novels operate in the space between reality and fantasy, sanity and insanity – and Kafka on the Shore is no exception. A master of magical realism, Murakami draws the reader into his world and makes them want to stay, despite the darkness he is so adept at portraying, and this truthful yet romantic storytelling has earned him millions of devoted fans around the world. In his deeply personal new introduction to this edition, Murakami revisits the emotionally charged experience of creating 15-year-old Kafka’s journey from confused runaway to enlightened sage.