Having gone through quite a few of Haruki Murakami’s novels
over the past year or so, I finally had the opportunity to tackle his most
popular work, ‘Norwegian Wood’, when I saw it available in my library. I had
previously stayed away from this particular work because, although it has been
regarded as a classic worldwide, it is much more entrenched in the romance
genre than his other works and this made me think it to be “watered down”.
However, after reading a couple of 400+ page novels in the past few weeks I
wanted something a bit easier to take in but with equally high expectations.
So, why not try out Murakami’s magnum opus?
==---Plot---==
When the airplane that Toru Watanabe is on plays the
eponymous Beatles song, it brings him back memories of twenty years ago to his
university days in 60s Tokyo. For Toru it’s less a time of studying and more a
period of unusual friendships, sex, and most of all, his passion for two young
women. The fragile Naoko is the girlfriend of Toru’s best friend from high
school and both of them share a deep loss in their lives which seems to haunt
them. Midori is a vivacious student who draws him in with her perkiness and
tough home life. The two women begin to mean different things to Toru, but whom
will he choose in the end?
==---Opinion---==
Thankfully, ‘Norwegian Wood’ more than met my expectations.
It is not quite a straightforward romance story and there are still surreal
elements present, especially as Toru’s mindset can be very vivid as it runs
through several emotions throughout the course of the story. It is very
well-paced and the writing kept me coming back to see how Toru handles his
student life with two girls he becomes fond of. I’ll admit there is a sudden
swerve in the final chapter which totally startled me but I think it was a good
move as after this event I just wanted to keep reading until the end.
The setting of Japan/Tokyo in the 60s is one that I was
easily drawn into despite being born in 1992- the music and literature form
excellent motifs, especially that of the titular Beatles song (I listened to
this song and I must say Murakami made the theme of the novel fit perfectly
with its lyrics). It seems to have been a turbulent time with demonstrations
and occasional fighting, but as the protagonist Toru is very much on the
sidelines, just expressing his views on how fruitless it seems to be. Even as a
student of the present day I share his sentiments completely (maybe I shouldn’t
admit that, hmm...).
Generally one of Murakami’s strengths as an author is his
characterization, which is brilliant as ever here. As I’ve said already, Toru
Watanabe is a relatable lead character, but to those who aren’t/weren’t
university students, he also gains sympathy for having suffered for a shocking
event in his high school years that connects him with Naoko. He reaches some
real lows in the course of the novel caused by both past and present matters,
but by the end of the novel he has very much come of age and is ready to move
on, which made me finally happy for him. With the two female lead characters, I
found myself preferring Midori because she was lively and witty so that she
brought the best out of Toru. Nevertheless she too is frustrated with her life,
especially regarding her dysfunctional family and straight-laced boyfriend.
Naoko is in contrast is charming, somewhat shy and someone who truly cares for
Toru. Like him, she has been more deeply affected by the past and it did make
her a slightly more unsettling character to me. The supporting cast are also
in-depth characters with nobody feeling flat at all.
==---Overall---==
‘Norwegian Wood’ is an excellent story which I was hooked to
from beginning to end, eventually finishing it in less than twenty four hours.
It is personally not my favourite Murakami book (which is ‘Dance Dance Dance’)
but it comes pretty close and is very much deserving of its reputation. I’d
recommend it to anyone looking for something more than a general romance book,
or for those looking to get into Murakami’s other works.
This review is based on a library copy. It may also be found on 'ciao!' and Dooyoo.
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