As I sit down to write this review, I do so having only just finished the book after not being able to tear myself away from it. I'm not the best at writing reviews, having barely any practice and so I will try to do my best. This will also be as spoiler free as possible!
The novel is written from the first person perspective of a man, Toru Watanabe, who is reflecting on his younger years at university in Tokyo and specifically his relationship with a girl, Naoko. Mainly reflecting on the relationships he had as his sexuality started to flourish. However, even in the first few pages you can tell that this book has a kind of sadness and nostalgia that will develop as it continues. While it is a book about love, I think it is also not. In a sad way I think it shows us how desperately complicated human relationships can be and how people can get hurt from them, stuck trying to do the right thing or not caring. Murakami describes the cracks in the relationships in a fascinating way, for me as someone who has not read about love from the male perspective, this was an interesting insight into the mind of a male character around my age (albeit from the perspective of an older man on a nostalgia trip).
Norweigan Wood for me, is a book of beauty. Murakami's writing is beautiful and sad, he sets the scene in every moment carefully, fully enveloping you. I feel as if I have been on the streets of Japan with Watanabe. In fact, this book has made me long to know more about Japanese culture precisely so that I can enjoy the rich descriptions and little hints to the country's past in a deeper way. I think that the way Murakami writes the scenery for the novel is breathtaking, he writes with such a love for the nature of the surroundings that doesn't feel overbearing, but really does draw you in as if you are there with them. And then the characters, all of them have a certain complexity and deep sadness. The characters help you to realise that there is no normal, all of them having their own struggles and desperately trying to get by. The characters for me were incredibly interesting as they were all very relatable in their own ways.
I'm not sure I could pick a favourite character if I tried. They are all deeply flawed and complex. However, I do like the energy that comes from the character Midori and how she can appear truly outrageous at times. And I think that she embraces the contradictory and often "crazy" side we see attributed to girls in a really interesting way. But then I also have a soft spot for Naoko's character and the sadness and sensitivity that she brings, some of her character aspects I find in myself.
Though it is also a romance and a coming of age novel, I see it more as a tool to help us understand death and sadness. Murakami litters the book with poignant phrases that help us to see death as a part of life, and understand how to cope with the sadness that follows it. I read this on my kindle, and I cannot tell you how many little snippets I highlighted to remember and keep, Murakami's phrases are so simple and deep that they race through the mind and bring understanding to a lot of things.
I suppose if there was one thing I didn't like about the book, it would have to be how graphic the sex scenes can be at times. But I am conflicted on this, because the scenes did provide important developments in Watanabe's emotional development, but I suppose that was why it felt intrusive to me, because it was developmental. Even the sex scene I hated reading the most was in a way important as it helped you to understand a character more and what had happened to her in her past.
Although it is a very melancholy book, personally I think it will cement itself as one of my favourites. It is so raw and sad, but I think an incredibly important book to read. I would highly recommend it to anyone, as I think it is one of the best books I have read. Whether, lime me, you are the same age as the characters and going through similar issues, or older like Watanabe at the start of the book and using it to get the nostalgic feeling of being young and the memories that come with it.
If you do read it, please let me know what you think! I know I will definitely be buying the physical copy when the lockdown is over!
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