NORWEGIAN WOOD by Haruki Murakami | Book Review

I'm reading ALL of the Haruki Murakami novels - so I'll be doing a book review for each. Here are my thoughts on NORWEGIAN WOOD!

[murakamireads]

I reread the book! Here’s my new review and thoughts;

[plusminuscons]

It's amazing how differently people can experience the same book!

Even the synposis "... Toru's best friend from high school committed suicide, and he is in love with his best friend's girlfriend who is now obviously depressed because her boyfriend committed suicide."
To me, this is ABSOLUTELY NOT what the book is about.

For starters, the relationship the three of them had was emphasised often during the book- they were all treated as a unit, and without Toru, Naoko and Kizuki's relationship didn't quite work. He was a necessary presence in their lives. If any one part of that 3-part connection suddenly disappeared, the rest would not hold together.

Secondly, Toru is just as damaged/traumatised as Naoko, but in a different way. Naoko has severe mental health issues, depression, is very unstable. Toru on the other hand is detached. The whole way through the book I got the impression that things just kind of... happen with Toru. He's not entirely an active participant in his own life, he has likely repressed his grief, but by the end of the book he has gone through a catharsis of sorts.

Thirdly, Toru's feelings towards Naoko are complicated by their shared trauma and it's difficult to categorise them simply with "romantic love". I think there's a number of other things going on there, a kind of dependency on Naoko by Toru (somewhat counter-intuitively as Naoko is more outwardly damaged/fragile in some ways).

The synopsis above makes it sound like Toru is fine and Naoko isn't, that Toru's feelings towards Naoko are purely romatic and not (still!) in part influenced by his past relationship with Kizuki, and doesn't properly explain the codependency the three of them shared.

Additionally, it was interesting that you said he just goes around having meaningless sex because I don't really remember thinking that any of his sexual encounters were meaningless. Most of the encounters were symbolic and in some cases had a dramatic effect on the narrative direction. And describing the book as "a regular new adult romance with a very small twist" was like... what? There's some romance in this, but it's not fundamentally a romance story, it's a story about grief and loss, how you live with it, how it shapes your life and the choices you make.

I agree that he may not be very likeable or interesting (in some ways he's frustrating and passive) but that's kind of the point- watching him just kind of exist through his own life, not really live it or make decisions or experience things fully, until his barriers finally break down and he reaches his catharsis is one of the main narratives of this book.

Ultimately I think Norwegian Wood is something people will either resonate with or they won't. The themes are pretty heavy and I feel that it largely depends on past experiences whether people will be able to relate to it or not, so completely understand why people won't necessarily be able to, but on the flip side I think it speaks to a lot of people as well.

Personally I've read it about 3 or 4 times with years in between and every time I cry my eyes out by the end, haha.

[pepa]

Murakami is simple and deep, fluid and calm. Imagine a massive lake trickling down its low banks. His analogies and abstractions dictate the melancholy atmosphere of the story. Just as the strings of a soloing cello...The claustrophobic everyday of the protagonist is at sometimes pitiful and really transmits an unsettling agony., but it's so real, so flawed. It fascinated and moved me deeply how Murakami deals with these existential discomforts we all face at some point - at least - of our lives.
Reading Murakami to me means make peace with yourself, with time, but mostly with your expectations - just like in real life..funny - Imagine a Sunday morning, a strong coffee and a sunny window. You are not waiting for anyone. You're only there. Here. You just exist. There are no expectations. You are at peace with time and appreciate the second, this exact second that runs at this very moment. Which, by the way, is gone. There are no expectations. Air. Breathing. Prairies. Peace. Reading.


(Oh, and the sex parts. Please, woman...)

[AlliesBeautyTips]

i respect all of your opinions but i gotta say that i fucking loved norwegian wood

[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..

[djdsrce]

I recently read Norwegian wood and have not read any other book of Murakami yet. I like this book quite a bit due to the themes that it explores
1. Love between two imperfect people.
2. The isolation of sexual desire as something different from love.
3. Friendship as a clutch to avoid social awkwardness.

I haven't read a romantic novel since after high school and I would argue that this book is completely opposite of a romantic novel.

[robbyfarrell]

I’ve only barely started reading Norwegian Wood and I can already tell how great of a book it is. For the past 10 minutes I’ve just been pondering my thoughts. The description of Kizuki just makes me feel sad. Like how what a shame it is that this great person would take their life, leaving his friends to just wonder. I’ve personally never had a close friend take their life but it makes me understand what it would be like. How this tragedy would just leave you feeling empty on the inside and making everything feel like fog.

[cynewulf]

I think this book is the best ART I have ever read, remembering toru’s kind responses to women, its like he knew about women feelings and also knew alot about men sexuality at a very young age of 19, I think this is an older man way of saying Im sorry and thank you to the people of his past.

[howardmoon]

Every review is subjective and you are more than entitled to your opinion, but I have to disagree with many of your points. Having read 1Q84, A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance, Kafka on the Shore, Hard Boiled Wonderland, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle etc., Norwegian Wood is some of Murakami's most beautiful prose perhaps throughout his entire catalog. It's true that it lacks the mysticality of most of his work, but that's what makes Norwegian Wood such a special book. His diversity is unparalleled. Read a few more Murakami novels and come back to it (I'm not saying this in a snooty way) and I think you'll gain a much greater appreciation for it. It's one of Murakami's tamest works, but also one of his best, bar none.

[SamSensei]

Wow I feel old i read Norwegian Wood when i was 15 way back in 2007; this and Wind Up Bird Chronicle changed me.

[AA-lnyl]

The best thing about the book for me is the nostalgia it gives me every single time. I'm 22 but I felt like I was time travelling. :)

[GerardoBelot]

Well, you have to understand a little bit the japaness culture to fully understand Toru and the book, and you oversimplified the book too much !!

[LiteraryGladiators]

Great review! I tend to lean toward the positive end regarding what I thought of the book, but I feel that this is the novel you should begin with when reading Murakami. It does not have many of his magical realism elements, but it is still light and has hints of his themes. I am not fond of love triangles in general, but this is not necessarily a traditional love triangle. It is more like a really rough diamond with Toru's point questioning his purpose, just like an average person his age. The title is inspired by The Beatles song, which has to do with the major themes and emotions in this story. I definitely want to read Murakami in the near future. Thank you for sharing! :) -Josh

[priyankaghosh]

I recently read Murakami for the first time in my life, and honestly i did not like it, i like the language and a few descriptions of nature but that's about it

I found almost all the characters to be quite shallow, and awkward intimate scenes at awkward intervals was just not for me. And i finally found someone to shed light on this exact fact.

My opinions are of course based on personal reading preference and by no means to offend others, I am open to try his other books and see how i feel about it

[TheGolatho]

To be honest, I share your opinion of this book and rated it about the same. it's one of my least favorite Murakami books. Great review btw!
Also, I strongly agree with you regarding how graphic some of the scenes in his books and especially this book

[stephenwooten]

She said the main character is boring lol 😂 that's absurd
Terrible review, js

[thoret.]

I discovered your channel at the beginning of this year. I’ve never heard of Murakami before. After I read “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” I was hooked. I just finished Norwegian Wood, so now I’ve read 12 novel of his. And I loved every one! Thank you!
I didn’t expect that much from Norwegian Wood, but I really enjoyed it.
The newest two novels (that aren’t available in English yet) are already translated into German so I might read these soon as well. Maybe I’ll wait for the English translation though, because I’ve also read all the other books in English.

[cristopherpardo]

This is the first book I read from Murakami. I think its good, however I have found that a lot of people who hve read it believe that´s a accurate representation of Japanese culture, when in reallity the book is portraing Newyorkers in all the expresion of the word.

[ottoismydog]

yeah, NW ... I felt the same.
*Kafka on the Shore* or, *Dance Dance Dance* (Rat #4) are some of my favorites. Rat #3 *Wild Sheep Chase* is also good. #1&#2 of the Rat series (*Hear the Wind Sing* & *Pinball, 1973*) are fine but the series is very loose and you don't need to read them to enjoy the last two. Actually, the first two just became available again in the USA last year. They were out of print.

[jaydorota]

Excuse me but even if people read it as a letdown kind of a novel but it's surrealism at its best. .