TITLE: NORWEGIAN WOOD
AUTHOR: HARUKI MURAKAMI
GENRE: FICTION
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.
A poignant story of one college student’s romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man’s first, hopeless, and heroic love.
MY REVIEW
I was so excited to pick this book because one of my favourite book bloggers loves Murakami’s work and I often hear the same from his Instagram posts. I did not know about Japanese culture before reading Norwegian Wood, indeed this book has given me some sort of insights regarding their culture, food, lifestyle, beliefs. Also, I have got an answer to why Japan still selling out billions of music CDs. I know, those who have not read this book will find my statement so pointless.
Norwegian Wood is a love story set in Japan. The book is special for me for a couple of things- my first Murakami, first Japanese work I have ever read and so on. The story glides through Naoko and Toru’s life; we get to see the transformation of their friendship to love to lose. There are other strong characters, like Midori- a friend of Toru and Rieko who plays a pivotal role in the book. Unlike, the cliche love stories, Norwegian Wood is more inclined to the reality of relationships. Toru is trying to figure out what defines love, how the bond should work between lovers, throughout the book.
One thing I loved about the book is its take on mental health. Naoko is a representative of every individual out there who has been struggling with mental issues like depression. It advocates the importance of getting expert help before the mental illness takes a plunge to the wrong side.
Murakami’s Norwegian Wood could not get fitted into one genre, it’s a love story, a story of friendship, human relationships, there is magical realism as well. I would rather say he put together all those complex human emotions in just one book. Every reader could relate to the story of Naoko or Toru or Midori or Reiko at one point or the other. Because they are genuine characters, would feel like a person next door. And also the concept of death has defined so eloquently as never before.
The book is so raw, like; the author doesn’t stop himself from writing about the wildest thought a man or a woman could have. I have seen many people love Murakami’s works but some aren’t. The book has so many layers, each character has got something to tell you and no character is irrelevant in this book. At that point of realisation, you would love his works. (I think so..)
To be honest, as a reviewer this could be a wrong attitude but I wanted to like Murakami even before I started reading his works. Indeed, that frame of mind has helped me to look into the deeper levels of the book as though the precious pearls can be found in the deepest sea.
About writing, first of all, Norwegian Wood is a translated work from Japanese; the story narrates by Toru who starts the book from his present and then flashback. The reason for many people who did not like Norwegian Wood in the first place, maybe, because of this uncertainty regarding starting and ending. I do not want to spoil the whole book by giving away a lot about it. You guys just read it.
I would recommend this book to everyone!
Tip to read:- Hey, listen to Norwegian Wood by The Beatles (if you haven’t already )
MY RATING
I give 4 stars to Norwegian Wood.
