Norwegian Wood is a captivating novel that begins with Toru Watanabe, a 37-year-old man journeying to Hamburg.

After listening to the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood," he is overcome by a wave of nostalgia and starts reflecting on his teenage years.

At 17, his best friend Kizuki commits suicide, leaving Toru and Kizuki's girlfriend Naoko shattered. Toru and Naoko grow closer after the tragedy, and Toru falls in love with her as he attempts to provide emotional support. However, Naoko, who had loved Kizuki since childhood, spirals downward as she struggles to come to terms with his death. Her breakdown leads to her admission in a sanatorium.

Toru enrolls in university and maintains contact with Naoko, visiting her regularly and hoping for her recovery so they can start a relationship. During one of his visits, he meets Reiko, a musician, and the three form a bond. Meanwhile, as life becomes difficult to handle, Toru isolates himself. He then meets Midori, a fierce, independent, and carefree girl, and is drawn to her, eventually falling in love.

Toru grapples with his feelings for Naoko while she battles to deal with Kizuki's death. He is torn between the two girls. He tries his utmost to assist Naoko in getting better, but she continues to slip away. Naoko represents the dark side, filled with hopelessness and pain, while Midori embodies the light side, a warm and comforting presence in Toru's despairing life. The complex relationship between Toru and both girls is exquisitely depicted.

The writing is simply beautiful, with an intimate and vivid narration that draws the reader in from the very beginning and makes them experience all the emotions the protagonist goes through. The author incorporates elements from his own student days, giving the novel an autobiographical feel, although that was not his intention. It is not just a love story, despite the numerous references to love throughout. It is a coming-of-age story that explores themes such as life and death, communication, isolation, mental illness, and politics.

I adored all the characters. They were realistic and perfectly flawed, making it easy to fall in love with them. I found Midori, Storm Trooper, Nagasawa, and Reiko particularly fascinating. There are countless beautiful lines in this book that touched me while reading. Additionally, there are several graphic adult scenes. I felt a bit strange about the last scene between Toru and Reiko, but it did not alter my overall opinion of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written coming-of-age story.

I always tell myself that I shouldn't listen to the songs I like when I'm in a bad mood in life; because that sad mood sticks softly to that song. And later, wherever and whenever I listen to it, it exactly brings back that same feeling and mood for me; just like magic. I'm laughing and in a good mood... but if I hear the sound of that song from a distance, I get drowned and go back to that same day and that same hour, to that same mood. Songs are like a strong glue, they stick very softly to the emotions. That's why I don't want to waste their specialness and not use them.

The beginning of this book starts with a song full of memories for "Toru"... a song that takes him back to a powerful and ancient memory... to a hard and cold past.

Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it's time for them to be hurt. Life is like that.

Toru's close and actually only friend, "Kizuki", commits suicide without any explanation or letter. The cycle of grief in this story starts with Kizuki's suicide.

Committing suicide is just like a game of dominoes. The first person who falls and brings down others, many people behind him will be hurt and will also fall. In this story, with Kizuki's fall, now it's Toru and Naoko's turn to fall, to see death with their own eyes. But in the middle of this, there are many complications... that make life hard for those two people. We are going to be witnesses to their efforts not to fall, to their efforts to get out of this bitter domino.

Don't you see? It's just not possible for one person to watch over another person forever and ever.

Murakami doesn't fill the paper with his mind, he writes with his heart. As if he has given the pen to the hand of his heart and let it lead. Because of this, each of his words is palpable, that I can see them with my eyes and touch them with my heart.

The Norwegian Wood was several stories about Adam... but at its core, it was the story of the survivors of suicide. The story of their confrontation with death. It showed what kind of hell you leave your surroundings in if you fall and end it. This book was the story of the survivors... the story of their path, that when your best friend ends his life without any explanation or letter, who has the answer to your path in front of himself?! It was the story of their fight, that it's hard to come out of that unexpected death. And it was the story of defeat, that when you are alone, when your path becomes unanswered, when you play the game, you accept defeat and sadness takes hold of you.

What a terrible thing it is to wound someone you really care for—and to do it so unconsciously.

All people, all normal, happy, and smiling people... when you get close to them, you can see that there is a disaster inside them. And maybe it can be said that for all people there is a bridge, a bridge that they have built with great difficulty to pass over the depth of the disaster inside them.

With this book, I again read from a Japanese author about the importance of speaking and expressing emotions. That we really don't know, but the words that are expressed are like a salve... we take their fragrance as they go. Sometimes we get used to life in our minds, in our thoughts... so much that the outside world becomes strange to us. But those mentalities, many of them have no reality. Don't believe them.

Murakami with Norwegian Wood talks about love; about how often - not always - love can help you get out of the domino of death. That it can help you, after months of escape, take a look back and see that you are no longer in danger, the game is over and you are left strong and stable.

"What happens when people open their hearts?"
"They get better,"

Rewrite of the article:

I've heard a great deal about Haruki Murakami and his works, so I truly endeavored to give this particular one a fair chance. However, the deeper I delved into it, the more I came to realize that it is a self-indulgent male fantasy where two attractive women throw themselves at the protagonist.

It is indeed true that there is a significant amount of sex in the book. But what no one informed me about was the presence of a non-consensual lesbian scene between a 13-year-old girl and a 32-year-old married woman, which is described in great detail. Then there is the manic pixie dream girl Minori, whose floaty, bimbo-like dialogue grated on my nerves as it became interspersed with sexual propositions that were dirtier than the previous ones.

The problem is that I can't even tell you anything about the main character because he was so fixated on these females surrounding him. Mental illness does play a prominent role within the story, as one of the characters heads to a psychiatric retreat. But the entire story is simply filled with selfish, horny characters whom I just didn't have any regard for.

I quickly abandoned this book, and my only regret is having wasted time on it.

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Trigger warnings: non-consensual sex with minors, suicide, mental illness, death, really just a terrible book that you should steer clear of

Death exists not as a negation of life but as a part of it.

Although you can predict all the events of the story and although they are very ordinary events and there is no element of seriality and surprise that characterizes Murakami, yet you can never stop reading and you wish that no one would interrupt you and take you out of your mood.

It's as if you are sailing on the Nile River in spring weather, with no waves, no surprises, and no unrestricted changes, unlike Kafka on the Shore where we never saw the shores.

The strange thing is that I moved from reading Chekhov to reading Murakami, and therefore I lost the sense of the names because of their strangeness and difficulty of pronunciation, so I no longer remember any name or even focus on it, and I have become identifying people in a way similar to the Braille method... So this is the hero of the story and this is his close friend and that is his neighbor and this is his friend and this is his uncle's son.... and so on.

The exception here was Watanabe, who carried the mountains on his shoulders from the beginning to the end.

The hero is forty and remembers the events of the nineteen-sixties.... It makes me think of someone we know :)

Some may envy him because he is involved with several girls and even his only friend who was mentioned, his principle was today alcohol and women and tomorrow we will do whatever we want.

The story is not for the faint of heart or those with easy tears, as the events are a series of successive sorrows and crises that Watanabe deals with as if he is drinking water.

Immediately after finishing the story, I decided to watch the movie, but it added nothing but some natural scenes and a great omission of the events.

The surprise in the end is that non-existence here is the same as existence, so there is no difference between who died and who lived in terms of their memory, which makes things mix up for us and we wonder where we are now.

*Norwegian Wood by The Beatles plays softly as a single tear slides down my face.*

The gentle melody seems to wrap around me, pulling at my heartstrings. The lyrics float through the air, painting a vivid picture in my mind.

“And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn’t it good Norwegian Wood?”

I find myself lost in the story the song tells. The sense of loneliness and longing is palpable. As the fire is lit, there is a glimmer of hope, but it is quickly overshadowed by the realization that something precious has flown away. The mention of Norwegian Wood adds a touch of mystery and charm.

I close my eyes, allowing the music to wash over me, and I am transported to a place where emotions run deep and memories linger. The soft notes continue to play, and my tear slowly dries, leaving behind a sense of bittersweetness.

Great ending. This sure was the saddest book I've ever read. It seems extremely dark and depressing throughout. The story unfolds in a way that makes you feel as if you are trapped in a never-ending tunnel of despair. However, just when you think there is no hope left, a glimmer of light emerges at the very end. It's like a small crack in the clouds that allows the sunshine to peek through.

I've never read a book quite like this before. To be honest, I'm not certain if I ever want to put myself through such an emotional rollercoaster again. It takes a part of you, leaving you with a sense of emptiness. I struggle to find the right words to explain it. It's similar to climbing a mountainside on a dark gray day. The beauty that lies within the story is still there, but it's hidden beneath the overcast skies. You have to search for it, and often, you don't even notice it until you reach a certain point.

As you ascend higher and higher, you feel more and more drained. By the time you reach the top, you are completely exhausted, both mentally and physically. But then, suddenly, you look above the clouds, and it's so bright that your eyes hurt. The whole mountain seems to transform before your eyes. The world that you thought was gloomy and gray is now bright, new, and beautiful. It's a moment of renewal and realization that makes all the pain and struggle worth it.

[Edited 1/31/23]
This is a relatively early novel by this author, dating back to 1987. The book jacket claims that this work catapulted him from being a well-known author to'superstar status'. On Goodreads, it is one of his most highly-rated books.

It is also the only'straightforward' novel among the seven or so of his that I have read. There is no science fiction or magical realism. There are no women in bars who might be ghosts, no hanging out in deep wells, no psychic cats, just a single moon.

As is typical in Murakami's works, we do have a cat, a mention of a mysterious well, and western music, especially pop music like that of the Beatles. The theme of being an only child is often brought up in Murakami's novels, which is understandable in the context of Japan's low-birth-rate culture. I would say the two main themes are sex and suicide.

The main characters are a young man and a young woman. The woman is psychologically scarred by the suicide of their male friend when he was 17. Until then, the two boys and the girl had been an inseparable trio. (This group of best friends is repeated in the author's novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, where it is a fivesome of lifelong high school friends, both boys and girls.)

Earlier, the girl's sister had also committed suicide. She is so devastated that she chooses to go to a sanitarium until she can cope with life again. At times, both characters say they have 'word-searching sickness' - the inability to express their feelings in words.

He feels responsible for the girl in the sanitarium and can't bring himself to commit to another young woman he has fallen in love with. There is a story within the story from another woman at the facility. She had been a piano teacher, and the story is about a lesbian relationship.

There is a fair amount of sexual content in the book, but with little actual intercourse. You'll have to read it to understand what I mean.

Set in 1969, many of the characters are in college against the backdrop of student revolts, with students taking over classrooms and universities closing. There is a lot of talk about Marx and communism. Murakami was in college in Japan during this time.

Some passages that I liked include: “…the self I was then, the world I had then, where did they go?” “Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it’s time for them to be hurt. Life is like that.” “I’m all through as a human being… All you’re looking at is the lingering memory of what I used to be. The most important part of me, what used to be inside, died years ago, and I’m just functioning by rote memory.”

Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle remain my favorites among the half-dozen Murakami novels I have read.

top photo from images8.alphacoders.com
photo of the author from i.guim.co.uk

I have a profound love for the melancholic atmosphere that this book exudes. It delicately weaves through the life narratives of young students in Tokyo during the 1960s/70s, without being overly burdened by a didactic message. On the surface, it appears quiet, yet it packs a powerful emotional punch.

Our protagonist and narrator, Toru Watanabe, at the age of 37, looks back on his past. His best friend in school, Kizuki, tragically took his own life at 17. When Toru moved to Tokyo to attend college, he met Kizuki's former girlfriend, Naoko, and fell in love with the troubled young woman. Naoko soon had to leave Tokyo to seek treatment in a sanatorium, and Toru began spending time with the lively Midori, a fellow student.

Murakami empathetically and tenderly delves into the troubles of his characters. He explores how they struggle to adapt to the world around them, how they navigate their sexuality, and how they cope (or fail to cope) with the demands of society. The text is illuminated by its engaging dialogue and letters, in which people disclose their emotional wounds and passions, their longings and experiences. Even the secondary characters, such as Toru's ambitious, wealthy friend or Naoko's friend Reiko, are depicted with such meticulous detail and precision that they seem to come alive instantly.

One could surely argue that the depressed Naoko is the antithesis of the outgoing Midori, but in the end, they are both damaged individuals striving to overcome the odds. How does one face life with all its trials and tribulations? The student movement of the late 60s serves as a backdrop but is ultimately dismissed as a theoretical pursuit, while Murakami's characters are grappling with real, everyday issues. I'm already eager to read Ryu Murakami's "69" which has a similar premise, but I suspect Ryu will offer a different perspective - I love both Murakamis, though!

The novel's title is inspired by the Beatles song "Norwegian Wood". The renowned music enthusiast Murakami (H.!) incorporates numerous other references, ranging from jazz (as expected from this author) to Bach. Toru shares several characteristics with the author, such as their studies in theater, love for cats, enjoyment of modern American literature, and perception of themselves as ordinary people. However, who knows how truly similar they are. One thing is certain: they are both introverts, and Murakami fled Japan due to the overwhelming notoriety that accompanied the巨大 success of this book.

This is a fascinating, moving, and beautiful novel that once again affirms my preference for Murakami's more realistic works. Here's the movie trailer.

I’m late to the Murakami party, but I’m glad I finally arrived.

People here seem to be having a great time, enthusiastically passing around his books while ordering numerous rounds of sake and Japanese beer, and nibbling on cucumber with nori and soy sauce. I think I’ll stay for a while.

Last year, I read "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" - his book on long-distance running - and really enjoyed it. However, this is the first work of his fiction that I’ve read. I’ve heard that it’s an atypical Murakami: no magic realism, no noir.

What a strange book this is! Comprised of simple, unassuming sentences, it is filled with muted emotions and understatement. It took some time for its magic to work on my mind and imagination, but eventually it did. He plants symbols such as a forest and a well. The melancholy Beatles song, a favorite of some of the characters, kept running through my head as I read. Youth suicide seems to be a major theme, as is the nature of love and friendship. There are also erotic and sensual passages.

Gradually, oh so gradually, the book began to have an impact on me. It’s all about memory, a moody atmosphere, accepting things that you can do nothing about but trying to learn from one’s mistakes. It’s about enjoying the view.

There’s a mournful, elegiac feel to it from the very beginning, when the 37-year-old writer, Toru (the book feels autobiographical but I don’t think it is), looks back on his intense relationship 20 years earlier with his friend Naoko.

For a long time, Naoko, Toru, and Kizuki were inseparable, and then Kizuki died. Toru was the last person to see him alive. Naoko checks herself into a facility, and Toru visits her and her friend Reiko there.

Reiko’s story - one of many powerful multi-page monologues - will break your heart.

Toru also takes a liking to his fellow student Midori, a high-spirited woman who has her own problems but a much different approach to them. She provides a boisterous, life-affirming contrast to the rather glum Naoko.

And then there’s Toru’s womanizing friend Nagasawa. One of the most poignant sections in the book concerns Nagasawa’s girlfriend Hatsumi. Toru informs us of her suicide, and then we go back to see a scene between Hatsumi and Toru that, in retrospect, is terribly moving.

In fact, Murakami plays with chronology a great deal, and I think it’s this structure, this gradual accretion of details, that has a cumulative emotional effect.

I came to admire Toru as well, for his truthfulness. He’s a little difficult to read - kind of like Nick Carraway in "The Great Gatsby", a book he loves - but he has a code of honor. He never lies. He tries to do what’s right, even when he feels powerless.

I’m not sure if his obsession with Western things is typical of a Murakami protagonist: there are references to Mike Nichols’s "The Graduate", Thomas Mann’s "The Magic Mountain", songs by the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Oh yeah, the book is set in the late 60s and early 70s, when the cultural shifts occurring in the West must have seemed liberating.

I was surprised by how little Japanese culture itself is referenced. But it’s significant that this was Murakami’s monster breakthrough book in his own country.

Clearly, it has also connected with people around the world. Finding your voice, discovering your vocation, surviving death and unrequited love: post-adolescent angst is common no matter where you are.

**"Norwegian Wood": A Reflection on Adulthood and Love**

The birthday I dreaded the most was my 20th. While for those older than me, the 21st was once significant, with the legal adulthood age reduced to 18, its importance waned. At 18, one could be conscripted but not drink until 21. Turning 20 meant leaving the teenage years behind, a group united only by the "-teen" suffix. It felt strange not being part of the grown-up crowd yet. Beyond 20, one emerges from university (if fortunate) and enters full-time employment, facing maturity, responsibility, and expectations. Suddenly, everything seems more serious and permanent.

In "Norwegian Wood," Haruki Murakami explores the Japanese experience of transitioning into adulthood. Set in 1968 - 1970, it shows this transition as demanding and stressful, with more casualties as some teenagers fail to make it and end up taking their lives. Murakami portrays it like a game of snakes and ladders, where one can either climb to success or slide into darkness. The protagonist, Toru Watanabe, pictures the darkness as a well-like abyss. As a teenager, his life was relatively innocuous, but now he must avoid the well during the transition. His friend Reiko remarks on the border between life and death, emphasizing the need to safely negotiate boundaries.
The novel has an otherworldly feel, as if everything could disappear at any moment. The characters are preoccupied with themselves, introspective and self-centered. They talk, play folk songs, and write letters that are later burned. They struggle for permanence in a world where everything else is ephemeral, and even their memories fade. Naoko asks Toru to remember her, but years later, his memory dims. The Beatles song "Norwegian Wood" features throughout the novel, adding a sense of sadness. Reiko accurately sums up the Beatles as knowing about the sadness and gentleness of life.
My wife, F.M. Sushi, had a different take on the novel. She thought the characters should stop moaning and grow up. However, a few hundred pages later, I was stunned by her prescience. Toru grows up in Murakami's hands. He has to stop dreaming, live in the present, and embrace the now. He distances himself from the past and takes responsibility for his choices. Midori reveals her feelings for him, and they end up together. I still prefer Murakami's way of telling the story, with its surprises and the change from minor to major. While my wife seems to understand things that I find mysterious, I sometimes prefer to linger in the rabbit hole and enjoy the experience. Mystified, confused, and excited, at least for a while.

The first book for 2019 and I'm glad I chose it to be this one. I loved it! Murakami's narration is so vivid that throughout the reading, I also lived in Tokyo together with Toru Watanabe and all the people who punctuated his student, and not only, life.

Moreover, the Beatles' song Norwegian Wood will remind me of this melancholic yet at the same time sweet story, just as it reminds Toru of his first love.

This book takes the reader on a journey through the complex emotions and experiences of the main character. It explores themes such as love, loss, friendship, and the search for meaning in life. The descriptions of Tokyo and the various settings add to the atmosphere and make the story come alive.

Overall, it's a beautifully written and engaging book that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys literature that delves deep into the human psyche.

Norwegian Wood is a book that holds a special place in my heart.

First and foremost, I must issue a disclaimer. This is not your typical romance book. In fact, I cringe at the thought of attaching such a mundane label to it. However, upon closer inspection, it does indeed possess elements of a romance. But it is so much more than that.

Just like Dickens, Murakami weaves a tale that is fueled by the death of the innocent. Each character seems to be on a path of self-destruction. But what truly matters is the subtext that lies beneath the surface. On the surface, Watanabe appears to be living a normal college life. However, as the actions of his peers unfold with robotic precision, there is chaos simmering in the background.

Watanabe's best friend, Nagasawa, plays the role of the devil's advocate. He presents himself as an evil guy, which he is to some extent, but he also serves as a catalyst for Watanabe's growth. He challenges Watanabe's sense of order and prompts him to question his beliefs.

One of the most humanitarian acts in the book occurs when Watanabe visits Midori's father in the hospital. His actions are pure and selfless, a rare quality in classical literature. The characters in this book are complex and ambivalent, with their own set of morals. They are not your typical heroes, but they are heroes nonetheless.

The question of death looms large throughout the book. By the end, I was almost exhausted by the constant upheavals. However, the hero himself finds himself in a purgatorial state of madness. The sex in the book is not obscene; it feels natural and integral to the story. The characters, even those who may not seem real, such as Midori, are full of life and color. She is a healthy caricature who brings a smile to my face.

Murakami has always been a mystery to me, but after reading Norwegian Wood, I am eager to explore his other works. I tried my best not to reveal any spoilers, but Murakami has an undeniable talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking words. The best part is that beneath the seamless flow of words lies a web of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. This is what makes art great, and Norwegian Wood is truly a masterpiece. It is a book that contains elements of film, literature, music, and love. And in the end, it reminds us that the love we take is equal to the love we make.

Thanks again to my cyber friend, Manju, for recommending this wonderful book to me.