Haruki Murakami: Norwegian Wood

Hi

This is my second time reading Norwegian Wood.
It has 389 pages and I’ve got it in the Vintage edition.
You can find all my Murakami reviews here.

“When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire.”

I loved it all over again.
It’s written so beautifully, so eloquent and lovingly written, so gentle and descriptive. It all seems other worldly.
The story is full of sadness, loneliness, grief and loss. It’s gloomy and melancholy.
In the end, it is about love and the fragility of life. How delicate we are. How quickly something can topple it all. It’s about caring for others and for one ’s self. How to get through life. How to love. How to live.

I just really hate Midori. There’s just nothing likeable to her. Why Toru keeps seeing her is a mystery to me. It’s all about sex with her; watching porn, making Tory (and me) uncomfortable with her comments. Ok, she is the complete opposite from Naoko, but that should not be her main attraction. She’s childlike, harsh, a liar and way to self-involved.

I loved it, even though I wish I could change some things.

Happy reading!
Helena