Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami REVIEW

Murakami's Art of Fiction interview with the Paris Review (most of the interview is behind a paywall, but the questions about NW that I mention in the video come at the very beginning, and are visible to all):

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[owainthorp]

Just went off YouTube to get some work done and this notification popped up...

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do

[ferzemkhan]

I’ve read almost all of Murakami’s fictional works and I find that the problems you mentioned persist throughout his catalogue. His narrators/protagonists tend to have a very passive mindset and their relationships with women are almost always sexual, which also makes the female characters in his novel not as fleshed out imo. Having said that, I think a lot of people (me included) read Murakami’s works for their surreal atmosphere and the way he describes a sort of magic in the mundane.

[profaneyo-yo]

So excited to see your take on this book that literally changed my life. Norwegian Wood is a private book for me. I had a crush on a girl at my senior high school, and somehow I felt the same vacancy deep inside her that I only felt in Naoko in literature world. She was happy on the face but didn't have passion for any thing or anyone. Seem to have some fairly close friend but no one knew her really and after we graduate, none of her friends know where she went and have any contact with her anymore. She just seemed nice with everything while not wanting to really build connection with anything and anyone. We all felt there might be some trauma inside her but not knowing what it could be. Since we don't have any way to find her now( changed phone number, no any social media account), I guess I would never find out what happened. I was a stupid asshole that I screwed something back then that I still carried regret in me. I go to Norwegian Wood every time those memory come back to me, though I wouldn't really finish it again cause it's too heavy for me.
I don't talked about this sh*t much but thankfully I somehow felt this is a place. These is just a personal story so I guess it might not helping. But thanks anyway, simply for my favorite book reviewer read the book that means the most to me. Does it make sense?LOL

[gordeiros]

Just stumble to your channel through the magic of the youtube algorithm and I'm really happy about it, altho I´m not a person who is a literature expert by any means, I often ponder about the books I read, Norwegian Wood certainly is one of them (Tokio Blues is the name of the novel in Spanish).Here are my thought about it. I'm a native spanish speaker and it took a bunch of time to write this comment (very rarely I comment on a video), but I really enjoy your perspective, and there are very few people in my life who I can comment on this sort of thing. So, pardon me if my english it's a little broken, I´m very rusty on the grammar and the writing part of the language.
1.- I Read Norwegian Wood quite a while ago and I have a special place in my heart for Murakami's work because it's the author who took me back to reading books as a form of reflexion and enjoyment. I read almost all of his books ("Killing the commendatore" its the one that I miss) I the thing that I notice with its work is that you can separate two big tendencies in his work. On one hand you have novels like Norwegian Wood that are centered in recollecting memories of the past, in particular relations significant with the protagonist, that are realistic in nature. On the other hand you have novels that are oniric and almost surreal, where the characters are involved in sort of weird scenarios. Norweigian wood it's the prototypical novel of the first kind, in my opinion the novel of that type that really stands out from the bunch it "South of the border, East of the sun". My favorite one is "The Wind-up bird chronicle" which is from the other type.
2.- I agree, It's quite a mellow novel with a very passive protagonist, and enjoyable to read, It has a very teenage vibe to the "romantic" and sexual tone concerning Watanabe relationship with women, But the reflexion of the duel of losing a close person to you and the survivor's guilt that you mention i spot on, it was my favorite part.
3.- I think that the detachment of the character form everything that surrounds it and the self-centered perspective that Watabane carries throughout the novel, reflects more on the duel and the coping mechanism that Watanabe employs rather than the selfishness of the person itself, but I can agree with you that at the bottom he is a selfish egocentric person, but most important I think, is that he is a lonely person, the feeling I got from reading this book it's that the narrator is very isolated from everything, because it wants to be so, and everything that surrounds its just to pass the time. It's not necessarily a shallow person, just someone who is not at peace with his past and doesn't want to.Sure, it's not the healthiest way to mourn someone and move on, but it's a way to do it. I took it from that perspective and more than a mellow tone to the book, for me it has a "greyish" tone to it. All the things and all the turmoils that surround a person that wants to be isolated are some sort of "white noise". Some sort of a "Hedgehog's dilemma" sort of speak.
Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your take on the book, gonna watch some of your reviews. Greetings from Mexico

[jasonmd]

I have a complicated relationship with Murakami, as will probably be obvious from the length of this comment. I moved to Japan five years ago and consequently started reading more Japanese literature, including Murakami. The first book I read was The Wind Up Bird Chronicle and loved it, I found it quirky without being frivolous, and pleasantly accessible without necessarily detracting from the complexity of its content.
After that I read Kafka On The Shore and though it was just the same novel with a different mask. Then I read the memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and thought the same thing. A friend of mine read 1Q84 and it sounded like another copycat novel. A story about a normal guy, not unattractive but not a incredibly handsome, who is successful with women, but not a womanizer, and likes jazz. He probably can cook, but is not great at it. Sure, one book has a boy that can talk to cats, another has a soldier who fought in Korea, another is about the author himself and the marathons he runs, but they are the same person, and seem to face the same conflicts. The writing style never changed either. This is why, a third of the way through Norwegian Wood, I gave up on the book. I had given Murakami too many chances already.
The parallels themselves though, are not a valid reason to dislike the novels. You could say Franz Kafka has similarities in all his work, you could say it about Dickens, but I love those authors. David Foster Wallace is one of my favourites, and you could certainly accuse him of never changing his voice or writing style throughout his career. It feels more that the novels, and this echoes your review of Norwegian Wood, lack introspection on the main issues. And while this lack made the protagonist of the first novel I read fascinating, the more it repeated itself I though that maybe this is a flaw with the writer, who either lacks this introspection or chooses to avoid it to the detriment of his works. It is the rare case where reading more books by the author of a book you loved ends up ruining that same book.
Another, very personal, issue I started having was that I realised I would've loved these books when I was sixteen, not yet intelligent or aware enough to spot the issues, and in some cases the objectification and misoginy, in these works, which means the books started making me dislike myself as well as the books themselves!
In spite of this negativity, I am actually considering to give Norwegian Wood a second chance, mainly due to finding a rare translation by Alfred Birnbaum. To give an idea, beginning on the famous Jay Rubin translation is 'I was 37 then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to Hamburg airport. Cold November rains drenched the earth, lending everything the gloomy air of a Flemish landscape: the ground crew in waterproofs, a flag atop a squat airport building, a BMW billboard. So – Germany again.'. Birnbaum starts 'Here I am, 37 years old, seated in a Boeing 747. The giant plane is diving into a thick cover of clouds, about to land at Hamburg airport. A chill November rain darkens the land, turning the scene into a gloomy Flemish painting. The airport workers in their rain gear, the flags atop the faceless airport buildings, the BMW billboards, everything. Just great, I'm thinking, Germany again.' I guess I'm hoping the different style of the translations will allow the birth of a new interpretation. We will see.

[prometheus-school-of-running]

Great review. Personaly I think that the book is about nihilism in Toru and Naoko after their best friend killed himself. Both of them become aloof and disinterested in real world. They find in each other someone who would understand the way they feel, and see the world similarly. It's also a love story where she doesn't love him back, actually she never loved him at all. Same as the song 'Norwegian Wood' by Beatles, which the book is named after.

[Taylor-mrnq]

Yeah, it actually reminded me a lot of catcher in the Rye which I didn’t particularly enjoy. Though I am a female so maybe that has something to do with my perception of it. To me it’s so very manic Pixie dream girl fantasy, which we see so much of in films today, books too of course

[ankitabasu]

What I found most obnoxious is that everyone especially Midori keeps praising Watanabe as if he is a man womankind have been waiting for. Moreover, every female in his circle keeps justifying his self-centered detached attitude as endearingly 'weird'.

[Woods]

I finished this earlier today and was so on the fence on how I felt about it but you've voiced it perfectly ! I totally agree with it being a good novel but not a great novel. I feel as though it contained snippets of wisdom (especially surrounding the theme of death) and the way that Murakami did this, I found to be very beautiful. In general, I really enjoyed his style and his prose. However, it is the 'teenage boy' element that made me question how much I enjoyed the novel. Its is clear that all the female protagonists were dealing with serious issues however I felt as though Watanabe always remembered women in relation to what they have done to his penis. Likewise, female pleasure was rarely explored. I know it is a male narrator but surely its not impossible to think about female pleasure also. I dont know if thats a very annoying point to make but it really stood out to me. Also, sometimes I found some sexual scenes just simply unnecessary and, to be frank, a little confusing. Despite this, I did enjoy reading this novel and I thought that Murakami included some lovely moments which made an impact on me. I definitely feel as though it is a novel I will have to revisit in a few years to really make a concrete opinion on. Excellent video ! Thank you so much !

[beena]

oh my gosh i literally finished the book 5 minutes ago, well this worked out pretty well... by the way, great review!

[panicpillow]

I read Norwegian Wood after reading Kafka on the Shore and to me the former is everything I didn't like about the latter and not much more.
A lot of it reads very much like a self-insert fantasy and it is very bourgeois. When my professor called it bourgeois in class I didn't get what she meant, but it is present in Kafka on the Shore (trucker becomes enlightened after listening to classical music for a bit) and it permeates Norwegian Wood. I think the detached attitude you talk about also fits that mood: no real investment because the political problems don't really affect the character directly.
The way Murakami writes women and sexual relations irks me personally. The women in the books I read of his, especially in Norwegian Wood, never feel like people. If this was true for all characters that would be interesting, but if it is only ever women and most women that matter in the story at that, it feels a bit weird.
Norwegian Wood kinda turned me off Murakami, eventhough his writing style is interesting to me.

[FabrizioGibilaro]

Ciao Mattia, i finished the book yesterday, it was my first Murakami. Most of your observations resonated in me. I am swimging between i loved the book and i found some aspects superficials or too artificials. Maybe i lack a lot of knowledge of Japanese culture to fully appreciate the symbolism and some of the meanings. I remeber some passages as very poetic and others unbielevably flat. Nevertheless it is happening something that to me happened with very few novels: I can't let it go and move on. It is stuck in my head and i crave hearing and reading comments about it. There is a profound sadness about this book that is repulsive and attractive at the same time, like a vertigo.

[thomaskruszewski]

I love this review! You should try The Wind Up Bird Chronicle! It has been my favorite Murakami work by quite a lot. It changed my reading life when I was younger, I would love your take on this book!

[pietroppic]

great review, I felt exactly the same a good book with some terrible passages, hate how he deals with women's sexuality

[LorenzoScarafia]

I finished the book three days ago, I find it a great book on celebrating and bringing respect to the dead, but also about celebrating the greatest mysteries of life. I loved how Murakami focused and channelled his energies to describe the emotions and first experiences. For me, it was an experience that was really close to me sometimes even though I cried, and suffered I wanted to live the same experiences for me the symbolism of death is well depicted, and at the end of the book endeared me to those themes.
Themes which most of the time are not that much spoken of or feared, and therefore avoided. Sorry for the grammatical mistakes!

[santogaijin]

TheBookchemist, great channel! Your opinions on Norwegian Wood were very close to mine. If you have a chance please do a review of Natsume Soseki's "I am a Cat". I would love to hear your thoughts on this book!

[uliseslimaparati]

Oooooh, I've been waiting for this one, thanks for reviewing! I really recommend Kafka on the shore

[scotth.]

I read this about a month ago on vacation and it felt very plain at the time but your characterization of "coolness" is spot on for me. The entire book has a nostalgic haze that is pleasant upon reflection but barely came through on first reading.

Giving Murakami the absolute benefit of the doubt, the horrible explorations of women's sexuality could be viewed as a flaw of Watanabe as an uninterested person since he is the narrator. I am open to believe he is unreliable but considering this book has semi-autobiographical elements, I don't think it was an intended feature. I think his lack of reflection as an adult really hurt the book overall. Its as if we teleport from the plane straight to Tokyo in the 60s.

This was my first Murakami and I plan on starting 1Q84 in the coming days. Great review as always.


Also, the 68 movement is much more important in Europe than anywhere in the world from my understanding but I have no clue what was happening in Japan at that time either

[seonaanntom]

I just completed the book recently.
The book left me with a strange feeling...(like I felt numb)... And I think the end is a little confusing as it is an choice given to the readers....I think Toru called Midori when he was 37 at the airport....When he reached airport and then all his memories are back and he is stuck in his
Suddenly he may have an urge to call Midori and to start a new it was when Midori asked him where he was realized that he was in his fantasy all these years. had not reached anywhere and was in the middle of a bunch of unknown people .Then he reliZed that he had no one expect Midori....that is why he called HER from the dead centre or his empty was always a girl of life and and lets hope he began a new life with Midori..

[janvanderhave]

This is a brilliant review. I definitely enjoyed the book, however the last interaction Toru had with Reiko honestly ruined the novel for me. I had hoped that their relationship with keep to a sibling dynamic, with Toru looking up or seeking Reiko for advice as she did for him in previous chapters, but ultimately faltered this concept by making them sleep together. Arguably one of the most compelling characters becomes just another muse for Toru. So poorly executed and comes out of no where. It’s almost disrespectful to the character of Naoko since the two are only joined together out of mutual friendship to her. And of all times that they’re having a funeral for her. Murakami is a brilliant writer - but it’s quite evident that he’s never spoken to a woman before.