Title: Norwegian Wood (Goodreads)
Author: Haruki Murakami
Translator: Jay Rubin
Published: Vintage, 1987
Pages: 389
Genres: Contemporary
My Copy: Library Book
Buy: Amazon, Book Depository (or visit your local Indie bookstore)
Having just arrived in Hamburg, Germany, 37 year old Toru Watanabe hears an orchestral cover of The Beatles’ song “Norwegian Wood” which reminds him of his college years. In high school his best friend, Kizuki completed suicide and Watanabe moved to Tokyo for college in the hopes to escape the pain. One day he was reunited with Kizuki’s girlfriend Naoko and they sought solitude in each other’s company. However this relationship wasn’t the right solution for Naoko and she left for a secluded mountain sanatorium near Kyoto.
Norwegian Wood is often referred to as the best starting point when diving into the works of Haruki Murakami, mainly because this is one of the few books that don’t have a magical realism thread to it. This is a good place to start but what I find fascinating is the way Murakami uses magical realism to explore ideas of the mind. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage and Norwegian Wood don’t have that same fantastical style but they still follow similar themes. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki looks at the psychological impacts of losing friendships, while this novel looks at ideas of memory. From what I have read so far, Murakami’s other books do similar things but the use of magical realism allows him to dive into the mind and explore it as a fantastical world.
I have heard Norwegian Wood described as a coming of age story so many times, but I find it difficult to classify this book as such; for the simple fact that Toru Watanabe is 37 years on at the start of the novel, even though the majority of the novel is set during his college years. I think this is more a reflection on life and love, a novel that explores ideas of memory and nostalgia through themes like loss, depression and sexuality. This leads me to wonder just how reliable Watanabe really is and if there is a ‘rose coloured glasses’ perception happening in the novel. However the way this novel comes together and deals with memory (especially at the end) works so well and I can understand why Norwegian Wood is a Haruki Murakami favourite for many people.
One thing that really stuck with me with Norwegian Wood is the way Murakami developed characters. I found most characters to be complex and well rounded, they all had a unique personality and it was such a joy to read something with such great character development. A favourite of mine was Midori, who reminds me a lot of my wife; a confident and sure character who is at times insecure but has a great interest in talking about sex with others. She was the highlight of the whole novel and I always looked forward to her turning up within the story.
Before I knew who Haruki Murakami was, I saw the 2010 Japanese movie adaptation and thankfully I forgot most of the story. While images and plot points did come back to me as I read the novel, I was glad I didn’t have that outside influence but now I do need to re-watch the movie. Norwegian Wood is a great starting place if you have never read Haruki Murakami before. Apparently Murakami isn’t too happy that this is the novel that people will read or recognise him by, but it really is one of his stand out books. I have so many more Murakami books to read and I am really looking forward to diving into them all.
I’m yet to read any of his books…. And ignorant sod that I am… I only heard of him last year at the Random House book blogging forum. I was like… “Who?”
I’m sure you hear his name all over the place now.
Excellent review – I also found that the retrospective aspect of Norwegian Wood prevents this from truly being a coming-of-age story. It’s a good book but I always prefer Murakami in his more surreal moments to be honest. I didn’t realise there was a movie adaptation of this, though. Might give it a go!
I highly recommend checking out the movie, I think it is a nice companion.
Great review! This was my first Murakami novel and I really enjoyed reading it. Had no idea that he’s not too fond of this book being the one he’s recognised by. I still have yet watch the 2010 adaptation though (saw the trailer years ago and it looked interesting).
Have you tried any of his other books yet? If so, what do you recommend?
The only other book of his that I’ve read was 1Q84 (finished it about a week ago?) and unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy it 🙁
Oh ok, I was disappointed with 1Q84 too.
I’ve had this on my wishlist for years now. It’s one of those books I always plan on reading, but end up passing up. Loved your review,and I may have to order this one, and at least get one step closer to reading it.
I hope you do read it…sometime