I revisited Norwegian Wood, having completely forgotten my college year experience with it, except for the fact that I loved it. And I can understand why. The plot is captivating, with Murakami's dynamic prose once again keeping me up late into the night. The lead character is a well-developed loner archetype, and the world of 1960s Japan during the student protests shimmers in the background. There are excellent long sequences, such as the hospital visit, the fire, and the sanatorium. It is both salacious and often funny, with keen observations.
However, there were things that gave me pause. The book is set in the past, but the rape humor, the shocking scene of lesbian pedophilia, the way every female character is reduced to a sex object, and the extremely rare trio of Magic Pixie Dream Girl characters all bothered me. I don't necessarily hold this against Murakami, as he wrote it in the 80s and the book is about sex. But the gender issues prevent me from fully endorsing it.
As always with Murakami, the influence of the western canon is fascinating. Toru, the lead, reads Magic Mountain while visiting a sanatorium, makes friends by discussing The Great Gatsby, spends a late night reading Hermann Hesse, and is a lover of John Updike, particularly The Centaur. There's a good running joke in the novel's undercurrent - everyone except Toru is reading and loving Kenzaburo Oe.
SPOILERS, BIG SPOILERS: The resolution of the plot annoyed me. This book has too many suicides (three!), and the ending is very frustrating. There's a fan theory that makes a lot of sense, suggesting that Reiko - the woman who tells the pedophilia story - is a liar, and that the letter Toru sends her is used to convince Naoko to kill herself. The one bit of Murakami magic realism in the story comes at the end. Midori's final question (where are you now?) doesn't leave Toru confused. He is stunned because he is at the specific train station that Midori's father said he would be on his deathbed, the one that will bring him to Midori. This is nice and can be seen as further support for the theory that Reiko pushed them together. Great, cool! But yet, although all this makes sense, it is too far beneath the surface to be fact, and so for me it is a what-might-have-been, not a cleverly buried plot. It would be like if Vertigo ended 30 minutes early: you have to show a bit of the work to get credit.

“I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to be fed so much love I couldn't take any more. Just once. ”

During this reading of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, I found myself in a deeper state of sync with Toru. Consequently, I felt even more reflective and melancholy than I did during my last reading. It's not that those feelings weren't always present within me. However, this time around, I spent a significant amount of time pondering Toru's complex juggling act with life and relationships. I wondered whether it, or any such juggling act that we all perform in our lives, truly has any meaning. A sense of loss seems to be painted over nearly every page of this novel. It's as if everything is doomed to dissolve as soon as it begins.

So, yes, I liked this novel better on a second reading. I would rate it 4.5 stars.

Original review:

By this point, I've read several of Haruki Murakami's books. I've truly come to appreciate not only his masterful use of language and the meditative quality that he so skillfully evokes, but also the sense of the surreal that pervades his works. Frankly, I have a penchant for the convoluted twists and turns, the improbable histories, and even the talking cats that often grace his pages. Norwegian Wood, one of his earlier novels, is well-written and has a relatively straightforward plot. It also possesses that reflective quality that I so enjoy. So, I was well aware that I was reading a Murakami novel. However, I couldn't help but wish that the protagonist would look up into the sky and see two moons or experience some other aspect of a different reality bleeding into our own. Was it a good novel? Yes, of course it was. It's Murakami. In fact, this might even be a novel that appeals more to some readers. However, for me, later novels like 1Q84 and The Windup Bird Chronicle hold a greater allure.

Murakami divides his novel into two distinct parts.

On one hand, there is the past and death, which seem to hold a certain allure and mystery.

On the other hand, there is the future and life, which present choices and challenges.

The question of which road to take appears simple at first glance.

However, when one is in love with the past and desperately wants to save it from death, life becomes extremely complicated.

The prospect of the future can then feel like a cruel betrayal of the one who is tightly clinging to the past.

You are her anchor, her only connection to reality, and yet, you love her.

How can you possibly walk away?

Life is indeed fickle, but true love endures.

Sometimes, we are forced to do the difficult thing and let go, even if it feels like it will kill us.

As the saying goes, "The dead will always be dead, but we have to go on living."

These words are easier to utter than to implement in practice.

Sometimes, the dead carry so much of ourselves that living without them seems almost impossible.

Toru, for example, lost his best friend at the age of seventeen.

The friend committed suicide, and although we never learn the exact reason, Toru has his own theories.

Toru continues to live, but he feels empty inside.

He falls in love with his dead friend's girlfriend, Naoko, but she has her own demons to battle.

They manage to maintain a friendship for a year, but then Naoko institutionalizes herself because she cannot cope with life after her old boyfriend's death.

He was her soulmate, and now she is adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

Anyone who has read a Murakami novel will be aware of the significance of music in his storytelling.

The lyrics of "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" by the Beatles say more about the novel than words can express.

Reading, hearing, and feeling these lyrics can provide a deeper understanding of the story.

I want to interpret them and place them in the context of the novel to explain their meaning, but doing so would spoil the experience for you.

If you have read the book, I encourage you to read through the lyrics and think about the actions Naoko takes towards the end of the story.

At first, her actions may seem a little selfish, but the lyrics reveal the truth.

Perspective is everything, and in the novel, we never had the perspective that would have told the whole truth.

"Norwegian Wood" is a novel that feels as if it should never have ended.

It is the kind of book that immerses you in the lives of the characters and makes you wish their story would continue indefinitely.

With suicide being such a prominent theme throughout the novel, with no less than three major characters taking their own lives, I was surprised that the ending was not more of a universal one.

The power of Murakami's writing lies in his ability to entangle you within the story.

His characters in this novel feel so incredibly real, so tragically human.

They are some of the most lifelike I have ever encountered in a book.

Towards the end of the story, everything feels desperately unresolved.

But isn't that life?

How often do we truly resolve our inner demons and feel content with how things have turned out?

Rarely.

"Norwegian Wood" is a dangerous novel because it has a certain universal appeal.

It has the ability to speak to many readers as they compare their own situations to those depicted in the book.

Sure, our lives may be less dramatic, but the dilemma of having to move on while being weighed down by the past is one that most of us will face.

The real question is, did I enjoy it and would I recommend it?

I would recommend it, but I cannot say that I loved it.

There is little to love here, but there is also little to hate.

What Murakami offers is a sprawling look into the lives of a group of severely damaged youths as they struggle to come to terms with the realities of emptiness.

Take from it what you will.

However, be warned, it may cause some pain.

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4.5
This is the second book by Murakami that I have read, and I must admit that it was much more sensual than I had expected. I didn't anticipate the eroticism that I would encounter. And contrary to many, except for one scene, I really liked how they were described. They had meaning, passion, and sentiment. It is very sensual without being sexual, very intimate.

Murakami's writing style is like waking up from a dream. It is starting to realize the small pleasures of life, such as listening to music, taking a drink, enjoying solitude, hugging someone, enjoying a book, and drinking something warm. All of this and more, but without leaving the pages of his book.

Could it be that I am already used to reading slightly more depressing books, and as a result, I ended this one with a feeling of warmth instead of sadness?

Everyone says that this is not the best work of this author, and he himself doesn't think so either. But I have really enjoyed it a lot, and I feel that it is a book that I will keep with me for a long time.

Student life is a complex tapestry of emotions and experiences. There is sadness that often creeps in, like a silent shadow. Loneliness can also be a constant companion, making one feel isolated in a crowd. Trust is a fragile thread that weaves through our relationships, sometimes breaking and sometimes holding strong. Illness can strike unexpectedly,打乱 our lives and make us question our mortality. Love happenings can bring joy and heartbreak in equal measure. Suicide is a tragic reality that haunts our society, leaving behind a trail of pain and unanswered questions. Confidence can ebb and flow, depending on our successes and failures. Anxiety can gnaw at our insides, making it difficult to find peace. Friendship is a precious gift that sustains us through the toughest of times. Deaths of loved ones can shatter our world and leave us feeling lost and alone. Growth is a continuous process that molds us into the people we become. And all the passersby we encounter in life during that time add their own unique colors to our journey.

Naoko's world is closed, sad, and dark, like a prison cell. Midori's soul is vibrant, boundless, and free, like a bird soaring through the sky. Reiko's personality is life-tossed and turned, like a ship in a storm. Do people change over the years? Is it possible to overcome darkness? How much do we owe to life? What expression describes true love? How do you let go of the loss of a loved one? These are questions that we all grapple with at some point in our lives.

If I had read the book during my student years, the emotions would have overwhelmed me. But my present self has learned to accept things more calmly, deeply, and simply. My recent knowledge about what is raw 'Japanese' has also allowed me to see and evaluate the choices and reactions of the novel's characters differently. Nevertheless, I unconditionally surrendered to the author's 'Japanese' calm, unemotional, but very impactful guiding through the labyrinths of the story. The story of Naoko, Kidzukis, Toro, and all the others is a powerful reminder of the beauty and complexity of life. It makes us question our own beliefs and values and forces us to look deep within ourselves. It is a story that will stay with me for a long time, and I will continue to reflect on its themes and messages.

In every other respect, he's a great writer.

His works are filled with vivid descriptions, profound insights, and engaging storylines that have captivated readers for years.

However, there's this one aspect that has led to some speculation.

There aint no way he's had sex in real life because what was all THAT?

Some of the scenes he writes about seem so far-fetched and unrealistic that it makes one wonder if he has any actual experience in that department.

Maybe he's just a master of imagination, able to create these elaborate and steamy scenarios out of thin air.

Or perhaps there's something more to it, some hidden secret that he's keeping from the world.

Whatever the case may be, it doesn't take away from the fact that he's a talented writer with a unique voice and a gift for storytelling.

But it does add an element of mystery and intrigue to his persona, making him all the more fascinating to his fans.

The first long novel that didn't really appeal to me was by Murakami.

It could be a disappointment with the addition. It could be that I read it at the wrong time. I don't know.

But compared to Haruki's second novels, this novel is just ordinary. It lacks a lot of the charm that Haruki has in his other novels.

But despite that and the large volume of the novel, the pen of this man is still magical and his style is enjoyable and makes you read and finish it normally even if the story doesn't appeal to you that much, which doesn't happen with anyone else but Murakami. :)

\\n  ‘death is not the opposite of life, but an innate part of it.’\\n

Imagine you are standing right in the middle of the road. To the left lies the past, which is lined with death. It's as if all the memories and experiences that have ended are piled up there. To the right is the future, paved with life. It holds all the possibilities and hopes that are yet to come. Sometimes, we get so fixated on choosing one way over the other that we completely forget how interconnected the two are. We fail to realize that we can't move forward in one direction without having come from the other first.

This novel has numerous themes and components, each of which could easily deserve its own in-depth review. However, the one that truly and profoundly resonated with me was Murakami's remarkable ability to convey what it truly means to be broken by heartache and how to hold on tightly to life. It shows how we can be deeply in love with the past, with all its beautiful and painful memories, while at the same time being irresistibly drawn to a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

This story thoughtfully depicts the journey of life. Throughout it, we accumulate scars. We shed tears from the pain we endure. We mourn the loss of a loved one, feeling a sense of emptiness that is almost unbearable. We get lost in the chaos of life and experience crippling loneliness. And maybe, in the end, we heal, but with a tinge of regret. Sometimes, our suffering makes us stronger, enabling us to face future challenges with more resilience. But sometimes, it doesn't. Occasionally, it robs us of all that is good and eventually breaks us. However, even the damaged can remember. Even the broken can still hope. So that one day, we are able to look back on those memories, no matter how painful they might be, and we can also look forward, hoping for brighter days even when everything seems completely hopeless.

We can remember. We can hope.
And we can discover reasons to live.

PS. John, you are the reason Murakami is now in my life. So, thank you.

↠ 4 stars

UGH!!!

This book really bugged the hell out of me for several reasons.

First of all, there is a rather extended passage dedicated to a lesbian encounter. While sex is a major topic in general, the way it was presented in this novel was quite off-putting. The author seemed to lean towards describing the physiological experience of the women in great detail, while brushing over that of the men again and again. There would be, for example, five paragraphs dedicated to the women and then just one sentence like, "she took me in her hand and I came." Give me a break! It felt more like an exercise in writing from a female perspective rather than a meaningful contribution to the story.

Secondly, the girls in this book were all portrayed as needy, dysfunctional, emotional, or detached, yet sexy as all get out. Meanwhile, the male character was unsentimental, level-headed, and also sexy. This one-sided and rather stereotypical portrayal of the characters was quite tiresome.

Finally, the main male character had sex with three of the main female characters (as well as countless unnamed ones), and apparently he was so fabulous at it that two of the characters decided they would never have sex again because it could never measure up. Oh brother! This over-the-top and rather absurd情节 made the story seem even more ridiculous.

Overall, this book was a major disappointment for me.

Reading Murakami is like a game of Russian roulette.

However, it is not a game with a blank outcome. Instead, it presents a wonderful and one-of-a-kind work of brain-expanding magical realism.

The stories he weaves are filled with奇幻的情节 and profound insights that can transport readers to another world.

But unfortunately, there is also an aspect of misogyny in his works.

Some of the female characters are portrayed in a rather stereotypical or objectified way.

This has drawn criticism from some readers and feminists.

Despite this flaw, Murakami's writing still has its charm and吸引力.

His unique style and ability to create engaging stories make him a popular author around the world.

Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the potential issues in his works and to approach them with a critical eye.

It's truly strange to contemplate that the very mind which gave birth to masterpieces like A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World could conceive of such a rather conventional and overly sentimental story. Yet, here we are.

Fortunately, Murakami has the ability to inject a bit of vitality into it. I ultimately found myself enjoying Norwegian Wood, but it remains the novel that has impressed me the least among Murakami's works thus far.

Perhaps it's because his other novels are renowned for their unique blend of the surreal and the profound, while Norwegian Wood seems to take a more straightforward approach.

Nevertheless, Murakami's writing style still shines through, with his beautiful prose and ability to create vivid characters and atmospheres.

Even though it may not be his most outstanding work, Norwegian Wood is still a worthwhile read for fans of Murakami and those interested in exploring the depths of human emotion and relationships.

Rereading this book for the second time, there is a slight sense of self-reflection