Kafka on the Shore discussion

I never really understood this book. And I would love to. Could anyone explain to me what Murakami was trying to say? Or link me a good essay about it?
thanks.

Kingsley wrote: "I never really understood this book. And I would love to. Could anyone explain to me what Murakami was trying to say? Or link me a good essay about it?
thanks."

I felt that the book was about Miss Saeki's love to that boy who went to Tokyo. When he died, she opened the stone, or the stone was open, and she went to that spirits world and bargained with the spirits (or fate if you'd like) that she wants her lover back. So, she brought her lover's spirit back and gave birth to him later, he's Kafka. She had to abandon him because that was a part of the bargain, the spirits came to take her and the girl (Kafka'a adopted sister) away. She awaited until she meets him before dying. Kafka's father told him about his curse because he knew that Kafka's spirit will long for Saeki and all. Nakata is the pure human who went to the spiritual world and returned, and he was the link or the instrument that the spirits used to make things happen.
This is how I understood it, as a metaphysical twisted love story. Maybe I was wrong, though, this is only my perspective :)