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Words can't describe how much I hate Lomax for this. This is just so devastating. For once, I want Stoner to have happiness without it being interrupted by whatever comes along, so it doesn't all fall apart in the end. I know he was happy, but it would be really great if both he and Katherine could find a way out of this without it being so heartbreaking.

This part with Lomax and Walker is so entertaining. It might be the first time we see Stoner confront something with this much courage and Unwavering determination, which I love him for. And that speech of Finch, oh, that’s just so satisfying, it makes me like his character so much more. But, sadly, in the end, poor Stoner still got done wrong regardless.

It's unbelievable to see how much Edith has changed—she feels like a completely different person from when we first met her. All of the good parts of her are gone, and she has now become a very unlikable character almost instantly. While reading, I was trying to understand how her character has changed, but she just keeps getting worse to the point that I can't help but dislike her.

Chapter 7 is packed with great moments. The death of Stoner’s father was so sad, and what makes it more heartbreaking is seeing his mother affected by it. And the death of Edith’s father was so shocking, coming out of nowhere. I find it somewhat mind-boggling that Edith seems to be calm when it happens. And the last part with their daughter makes me want to know more about what’s going to happen next.

It's so heartbreaking to see how Stoner never gets the love he wants from Edith. They both know they're making a mistake and don't know how to deal with it, so they just go on living with it until they get used to the pain and hope it will subside. And then the child came along, and I'm so afraid that the kid is going to bear the trauma caused by her parents.

The whole interaction of Stoner with Edith and her family is really strange. I guess her parents didn't like Stoner, but they also didn't want to keep their daughter. I don't know why — maybe they were afraid that no one else would propose to their daughter as Stoner did. But what really confused me was Edith's behavior. I don't really know what was on her mind, nor whether she wanted to marry Stoner or not.

This is a really good first chapter; the author handles the Stoner’s family relationship with just the right touch, making us feel sorry when they’re separated, but not so much as to feel forced or too dramatic. But I still can’t really put my finger on how the story is going to progress from here, what could go down in Stoner's life?

Suddenly everything in this book is turned upside down. Could it be that Hajime had been seeing hallucinations all this time? I mean, that seems to be the most likely answer right now, but we can’t really be sure about anything at this point. And to be honest, this time Murakami might have done something a little different, which I wouldn’t have thought before.

This is the first time I’ve seen Murakami criticize capitalism with this much straightforwardness, and I love every bit of it. Most of the time when he writes in this manner, it’s always on point, satisfying to read, and never feels like rambling. I just wish he did more of this on relevant subjects like this. Maybe that would finally bring him the Nobel, lol.

The reveal of Shimamoto’s past is done wonderfully. It makes us see her character as more humane than before, making her more than just a mysterious woman who is the protagonist's love interest. I think the characters’ ages also help the case; they are adults who have experienced life to some extent, which makes us aware of this without having to explicitly show it.

Finally, the girl came back. Even though I’m pretty sure it’s going to turn out this way, I can’t really tell what will happen next. Since this book doesn’t really have surreal elements, I’m guessing it will stick to realism in some way. Then again, I wouldn’t mind if it went in the other direction, although I’m pretty sure it probably won’t.

The protagonist of this book might have one of the easiest lives compared to other Murakami protagonists, which isn’t necessarily a problem, except that you can feel the lack of conflict from time to time. However, I feel like something might be coming to shake up the story in the next part. And to be honest, Murakami’s books always feel like that—like something is coming.

The story moves very quickly, jumping through the stages of this man’s life. It still feels like the set-the-scene part of the book. I’m pretty sure that once everything is in place, the pace will slow down and the story will take longer to develop. My guess is that this will happen when the childhood friend eventually shows up.

I’ve just started, and this book seems to show the more realistic side of Murakami, which I’m not complaining about at all. I’m really excited to see what it’s going to be about, although I’m a little sad that it’s a short book. Also, I feel like a lot of the material here is very similar to his other books—I guess I’ll find out soon.

I don’t have much to say about the ending. I mean, it’s not far from what I expected, and that’s okay because it’s a story that didn’t require an unexpected ending. But I do have a question: why didn’t K. go to jail instead? From the priest, we know there is a jail in this system since he’s a prison chaplain. Or is it just that K.’s guilt is more severe, so he was given an execution verdict?

The conversation between K. and the priest is very interesting, but what does it really mean? They discuss at great length the story of the man and the doorkeeper of the law, but surely the story must have a deeper meaning that ties back to K.’s trial. I find it hard to connect the dots in this matter, since the story is already hard enough to take in.

I’ve just reached the cathedral chapter, and I can already feel a different atmosphere from the others, which I find interesting and captivating in some way. There is almost a sense of relief that we can feel as K.’s trial is about to conclude, even though it is pretty clear that the outcome won’t be good after all. I also like the almost dreamlike feeling of this chapter.

The court is literally designed to make defendants fail as much as possible. One thing I noticed is the way they discourage defendants from talking with each other, socializing, and forming groups to share their experiences. And that’s because they know it’s easier to manage these people when they are on their own.

At this point in the book, it’s very clear that, if not worse, K.'s case will not get better on his side, and his life will probably never be the same. But it also makes me question how things are gonna go from here, since there is almost half the book left. What will be left to discover in K.’s hopeless situation?

The painter's character is very interesting, as is the way he is introduced. I also like how Kafka depicts characters from the lower classes in a more positive light than the rich. Of course, he describes the terrible environments these characters live in, which, when seen through K.'s eyes, seem harsher, but there is also some sympathy in the way they are portrayed.

It seems that K. started to become completely preoccupied with his trial, which I found somewhat ironic: the only things that can pull him out of the world of capitalism are being humiliated and disrespected to the point that he begins to see the pointlessness of his everyday corporate life. However, it might only be temporary before the court concludes.

The part with Leni is obviously a misogynistic portrayal of women, which, sadly, can be expected from the novel written by a man in the 1910s. I kinda dig the mysterious, almost surreal feeling of this chapter, like the way the lawyer gets introduced, and the older man who came out of nowhere. It kinda reminds me of Murakami books, including the misogyny part, too, even though the latter is still alive.