This books stands apart from other Murakami books by its “normal” theme. Into this complicated and fragile relation enters Midori, an outgoing and independent woman who is full of life, who Toru finds himself drawn to. She is aided in her recovery by her mentor and roommate Ishida Reiko along with regular letters from Toru showing his love and support. She moves away to an unorthodox treatment facility to address her psychological issues which runs much deeper than the suicide of Kizuki. Naoko, having a deeper relationship with Kizuki, is profoundly affected by this incident which ultimately leads to her withdrawal from daily life. Both Naoko and Toru try to cope up with this loss in their own separate ways. Narrated by Toru Watanabe, a young and precocious college student, it details his love for Naoko, a sensitive and introverted girl with whom he shares a tragic past of suicide of a mutual friend Kizuki. Norwegian Wood is a story of love, loss, adulthood and sexuality. Soon, I was on an unstoppable reading binge turning page after page of the Norwegian Wood. Struggling to select a book from this lot my eyes fell on Norwegian Wood. So, there was nothing out of the ordinary when I hogged on Murakami books on a recent shopping spree. An initial approach to understand each and every aspect left me struggling a bit till I found the best way to enjoy Murakami’s works – to let the words transport you into a faraway world and cocoon you in their warmth.
Although this metaphysical yarn with talking cats and spirits moving in and out of the body was way out of my comfort zone, I totally enjoyed the reading process.
My first experience with Murakami was reading “Kafka on the Shore” and this book had left me speechless. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami – A Review Rating – 4/5
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