Synopsis

First American Publication
This stunning and elegiac novel by the author of the internationally acclaimed Wind-Up Bird Chronicle has sold over 4 million copies in Japan and is now available to American audiences for the first time. It is sure to be a literary event.
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.

Review:

Great read. Only 296 pages. You can polish it off in one or two sittings. It deals with suicide, death, and mental health issues. Toru, the protagonist is very passive. He goes with the flow of things. He doesn’t take assertive action really. He doesn’t decide who he lets into his life or not. He just falls into situations, which I think is unhealthy. The ending reminded me of Sophia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation.” It was very existential with pervasive anomie. The basic message of the story is to live for the living, not for the dead and the haunted. There’s a lot of symbolism in the book. It’s entitled Norwegian Wood after the Beatles song. The book’s timeline is basically the late 60s, during the 60s revolution era and the Beatles. You get a sense of that vibe throughout the whole book.

I liked the book because it was an easy read and less emotional than the last book I read, “Lovely Bones.” I didn’t think it was truly profound though. I give it three out of five stars. I think you’d enjoy reading this book if you’re a freshman in college. At my age it seems rather dated. hehe, It’s like, “Been there, done that.”

Tags: book review, books, haruki murkami, norwegian wood

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