Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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"I once had a girl or should I say, she once had me.."

A Beatles' song takes the narrator, Toru Watanabe, to the events in his life twenty years ago. 
While in college, he bumps into an old friend, Naoko who was his bestfriend's girlfriend. His bestfriend, Kizuki, took his own life when he was seventeen. His death changed the life of Toru and most especially Naoko. Toru and Naoko found themselves spending a lot of time with each other and later on formed some kind of a special relationship. However, after Naoko's 20th birthday, she decided to quit college and go to a sanatorium.

During Naoko's absence, Toru meet Midori, a fellow drama major. Despite having relationships with other people, they felt attracted towards each other. They become friends quite easily.

Toru's idyllic life suddenly becomes complicated when he becomes torn between his love for the fragile Naoko and his attraction for the lively Midori.




Norwegian Wood was the first book I read from the famous Japanese author, Haruki Murakami. This love story explores the fragile nature of human beings and focuses on love, life and loss. 

This novel is different from the other Murakami novels as it does not have the supernatural elements that the author is known for. But that's what makes this novel more popular - it is more relatable and is an easier read than the other books by Murakami. 

It is still one of my favorite books and I would definitely recommend it to those who want to be introduced to the works of Murakami.

Book Title: Norwegian Wood
Original Title: ノルウェイの森 Noruwei no Mori
Author: Haruki Murakami
Translator: Jay Rubin
Genre: Fiction, romance
Published: 1987 (Japanese), 2000 (English)
Publisher: Kodansha
Rating: ♨♨♨♨ 4 out of 5

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