Norwegian Wood

5.0

Pardon my french, but FUCK YOU HARUKI MURAKAMI FOR PLAYING WITH MY FEELINGS !!! :'(

This is my first experience with Murakami, so I can't compare it to anything else written by him, but from what I understand, it's quite different from many of his other novels. It is the story of Toru, a young college student who becomes involved with the girlfriend of his best friend who, a year earlier, commited suicide. The two deal with their unspoken grief as best they can, both following utterly different paths. Toru loves the woman, Naoko, but for various reasons, their relationship cannot develop normally. We follow Toru for a few years in college–a realistic portrait of a young man's journey toward adulthood. The story is narrated by Toru's 37 year old self. He hears Norwegian Wood by The Beatles in an airplane and memories of his youth come flooding back to him, so much so that he must tell his story.

Murakami`s writing is so beautiful. It is extremely evocative, subtle, yet powerful. Each scene draws you into a life of its own; you can smell it, feel it, hear it and see it, a feast for all senses. Yet Murakami's writing never draws attention to itself, and that's what I like about it. With Norwegian Wood, he has created a story which will stay in the reader's mind for a long time.

Murakami's philosophy, that “...death exists as a part of life”, permeates this book. But also that lives and experiences, even those that have been lost, can continue to live. “Norwegian Wood”, the Beatle's song not the novel, evokes the memories of lives and loves worth remembering for the characters in this novel. We all have similar songs that remind us of those other experiences we have long since forgotten, good and bad. Murakami is simply reminding us that not only is it OK to remember, it is a fundamental requirement of the well lived and well considered life.

This book was extremely well written and a great introduction to Murakami in my opinion and I'd definitely recommend it as a starting point to anyone else looking to pick something up by him. It's also only 296 pages which is short compared to many of his other books. It is so beautiful and poetic, so rich in emotions and realism, so touching and so haunting. I highly suggest this book to anyone who has ever loved and felt powerful emotion. You will be amazed at how absorbed you will become in Murakami's story.