Book: Norwegian Wood
Author: Haruki Murakami
Pages: 296
I Read: The paperback copy pictured above
I Read It In: 6 hours (This was a re-read for me and I was savouring every line!)
Plot Summary: 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.
Everything I LOVE about Norwegian Wood:
Let's get this out of the way, Norwegian Wood is one of my all-time favourite books from one of my absolutely favourite authors. I first read this book in 2004 (wow! Has it been ten years already?!) and this was the first time I went back and re-read it. I remember that rainy evening in Bangalore when I first laid eyes on this book. A flatmate had picked this up on a whim and was not particularly enjoying it. I picked it up, read the blurb and decided to give it a whirl. It was a rainy Saturday and I didn't have much going on. By the time I was fifty pages in, I was in love- with the book and with Mr. Murakami.
So, let's get into what I love about this book and why you simply MUST read it!
- The writing. Oh the writing! Murakami writes in Japanese and his works are translated into English and this alone makes me want to learn Japanese, just so I can read his original writing. The writing is so, so, so, brilliant. And evocative. And lyrical. And just bloody good!
- Toru Watanabe- the protagonist. It is through Toru's eyes that the events in the book unfold and he is our narrator of events. Toru is just so well etched. He is sensitive, really sees people for who they are, is nice, a little lost and disillusioned and has seen more confusing tragedy than anyone should at that age. The book is his journey, his story of emerging from situations he can't control to really embracing whatever happiness he can find.
- Naoko- doomed, sad, fragile Naoko. Your heart breaks for her and the way this book is written imbues you with the same sense of helplessness that Toru feels when it comes to dealing with her and her pain. Naoko's valiant attempts at trying to 'fix' herself and trying to be better for Toru are just so heartbreaking.
- Midori- she is the contrast, of sorts, to Toru and Naoko. While Toru and Noako are all about internalising their pain and grief, Midori is a survivor. She has seen her share of tragedy but she is all spunk and spirit and she labours on and grabs at whatever happiness that she finds. She is what Toru needs and he knows that... and therein lies one of the most beautiful love stories you will read.
- Reiko- wise, broken but resilient. She is the voice of experience and wisdom that, one hopes, finally, saves Toru from himself.
- All the music references.. from the obvious hat-tip to The Beatles to Bach, de Bussy etc.. this book is also about a whole lot of music.
I could go on and on and on, but I hope you get the idea- this is an amazing book. At one level, it is a coming of age story.. at another level it is about the fragility of the human experience and our helplessness at often helping those in our lives who need it the most.. it is also about saving yourself as much as saving someone else.. and above all, it is about finding happiness in one way or another in, an often, bleak-bleak world. This book is glorious!
Rating: 5/5
Highly, highly recommend!
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