Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

⛰ What It’s About

Toru Watanabe begins his university education in Tokyo, but his past is darkened by the unexpected suicide of his best and only friend, Kizuki. Left behind is Kizuki’s girlfriend, who Toru begins to fall in love with. However, due to Kizuki’s unexpected death, their relationship becomes incredibly complicated and they are forced apart. Eventually, Toru develops feelings for a classmate and is trapped in a difficult position between two women he loves.

🔍 How I Discovered It

I was looking for something new to read and R. C. Waldun had recommended Norwegian Wood as one of his favourites at the time. When beginning this book, I had little idea of what the book was about other than the protagonist being relatable: young and beginning university.

🧠 Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.

While it deals with incredibly heavy topics such as suicide and depression, I felt the book isn’t continuously sad. Murakami’s imagery is beautiful and often makes you forget about all of the bad things that are happening in Toru’s life. Plus, not everything in Toru’s troubled life is terrible. There are sparks of joy and happiness for periods of time.

Despite being able to relate to Toru based on characteristics like age and some interests, I found it difficult to imagine something so traumatic happening in my life.

The variety of characters that Murakami develops in this book makes it so immersive with lots of dialogue.

Before reading it, I had no clue whether I would like it or not, just that it was supposed to be one of Murakami’s best. I am really glad that I finished it.

What I Liked About It

The characters were amazing. This book delivered some really great messages and made me feel so many emotions while reading. I really loved it.

The beautiful imagery of Japan that Murakami described made me feel like I was right with Toru, whether in his grungy dorm or the stunning mountains around Kyoto.

What I Didn’t Like About It 

The ending was really sad. I almost cried. Nevertheless, it was bittersweet and beautiful.

The book was also sexually explicit, however it made the book feel more real to me.

🥰 Who Would Like It?

I think this book is suitable for anyone entering university or older. Also, if you generally like romantic novels, this might be a good fit for you.

I would not recommend this book to anyone that is sensitive to topics of suicide and depression.

📚 Related Books

Some other books written by Murakami are Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. However, these books fit into the genre of magical realism rather than realistic fiction.