Norwegian Wood- Haruki Murakami| Book Review

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

TW: Suicide, death.

“The dead will always be dead, but we have to go on living.”

A line from Norwegian Wood which will forever stay with me.

It takes a lot of courage to write on Haruki Murakami’s works since there are two conflicting reviews out there. Either you fall in love with Murakami’s fantastic universe or it’s just not your cup of tea.

To be honest, Norwegian Wood was the first book I read by Haruki Murakami, and it drew me into this fantastic universe where the plot is so mundanely written yet it captures your interest and never lets you put the book down.

The book opens with the Beatles’ famous song Norwegian Wood from 1965, where the lyrics go “I once had a girl or should I say she once had me,” and the author describes the concept of the book with only these two lines. The reader understands what the author intended to communicate in the conclusion.

What is the book about?

Norwegian Wood is a novel set in Japan in the 1960s, during the student uprising. We see glimpses of these revolts in the background of the characters’ lives as we read the book.

The story is portrayed from the first person perspective of Toru Watanabe, a university student living in Tokyo after the suicide of his lone high school friend, Kizuki.

Naoko, Kizuki’s girlfriend, is another major figure in the story. Toru and Naoko become united as a result of Kizuki’s death and begin to find peace with one another. But as we read on, we discover that there is more to these individuals, that death is a complex concept in their lives, and that while finding refuge in one another, each character is carrying their own baggage from the past.

As the story progresses, we meet a new character, Midori, who is in love with Tohru; it sounds simple, but there are deep emotions at work. As the characters try to find their way in the midst of life’s tumult. Characters are thrown into a world filled with desire, grief, casual sex, surprising friendships, and death.

The complexity of each of these individuals, as well as the way they are engrossed in their griefs, is what makes this novel such a fascinating read.

Murakami’s vocabulary is flowing and airy, and the style is straightforward. Though he does not dig further into philosophy, the characters’ actions and interactions provide valuable lessons and significant concepts.

The novel Norwegian Wood is so wonderfully written that each character receives just the right amount of attention.

The book shows how death is not the opposite of life, but rather a part of it. There are just a few novels that call to you, and Norwegian Wood is one of them.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami Theme

CONCLUSION:

Would definitely recommend giving this book a try. It’s a sad dark romance, but it’s also extremely meaningful and powerful, and it’s designed to be read slowly to absorb the characters’ suffering and the depth of their devotion. This is my first Murakami novel, and I am definitely in love with Murakami’s work.