Norwegian Wood

Read from Tuesday, August 30th to Saturday, September 3rd.

Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint.   This book was a huge success in Japan when it was originally published in 1987, much to Murakami's dismay apparently.  He was one of the authors featured in The Secret Miracle, and there are a few other books of his that I am going to check out soon.

The story takes place in 1969 in Japan, but it is told as a memoir from the present-day voice of Toru Watanabe, remembering his college days and the loves of his life at the time.  It is a sad book, with moments of passion and humor, but mostly it is a self-reflection, always haunted by the spectre of death.  In high school, Toru was best friends with Kizuki, who was in a relationship with Naoko, who had been his girlfriend since practically when they were born.  Toru was happy to be third wheel, and things seemed great, until Kizuki killed himself on his 17th birthday.  This death had a profound impact on both Toru and Naoko.  A year later, in college, the story picks up, and Toru and Naoko begin a friendship characterized by their long walks around the city.  The story is set against the backdrop of student demonstrations in the 1960's, and it is interesting to see what things were like during that decade around the world, not just in America.  However, the protests don't factor into the plot that much.  Anyways, Toru realizes he loves the emotionally fragile Naoko, and on her 20th birthday, they sleep together.  However, Naoko is too unstable for this, and afterwards she leaves school and checks into a sanatorium out in the country. 

While Naoko's response is to dive deeper into herself, Toru seeks solace in one-night stands, influenced by his friend Nagasawa.  He is a quiet, average, uninterested student, but when connected with Nagasawa, Toru seeks to lose himself in sex.  Finally, Naoko contacts him through a letter, and explains where she is, and how fragile she is, and how she would like him to visit.  Toru visits the sanatorium, (while reading Mann's The Magic Mountain, soon to come!), and learns more about Naoko.  Her sister committed suicide as well, and combined with Kizuki, it was all too much for her.  Naoko's roommate is Reiko, an older musician, who broke down many years ago when confronted with accusations about her sexuality.  Reiko tries to help the relationship between Toru and Naoko, and advises Toru to take it very slow in order to let her heal.

Back in Tokyo though, Toru meets Midori, a fellow student, who is very outgoing and spontaneous.  She helps run a family bookstore, although her father is sick with a tumor, and he dies shortly after the two meet.  Midori has a boyfriend, but after hanging out with Toru, she leaves him.  Toru, meanwhile, is torn between the two women.  He loves Midori, but cannot get over Naoko.  He visits her again at the sanatorium, but she has apparently gotten worse mentally.  Naoko cuts off their communication through letters, because she is unable to write.  Toru consults with Reiko about what to do, and she advises him to go after Midori, while he has a chance for happiness.  However, by ignoring Midori, he is losing his chance day by day.

Finally, Toru gets a letter from Reiko saying that Naoko killed herself.  She hung herself in the forest near the sanatorium.  He is completely devastated, and spends a month wandering homeless around Japan being depressed.  When he does return to Tokyo, Reiko gets in touch with him, and tells him she is leaving the sanatorium to visit him.  When she arrives, they have an impromptu funeral for Naoko, singing songs late into the night, and finally they sleep together.  It is done in the sense of two friends celebrating the memory of a third, and the night convinces Toru to go after Midori while he still has a chance.  He calls her, and she answers, but the rest is left to the reader's imagination since that is the end.

The title of the book refers to the Beatles' song of the same name.  It is a favorite of Naoko's, and she says it makes her feel as if she is lost in a deep forest, which is significant since that is how she seems to live life, and it is where she took hers.  There was a movie made about the book last year in Japan, and I've seen a trailer.  The book has also caused a lot of controversy lately, as it has been banned at many schools because some parents have complained about the sexuality.  The only criticism I would have is through the translation.  Some of the phrases, while maybe remaining true, do not sound good in English.  They are chunky and awkward, and you can tell it is from Japan.  But other than that, I liked the book a lot.  It is easy to read, and the imagery and language is beautiful.  There are many memorable lines of dialogue as well.  It is a terrible tragedy, but there is hope in the end.  Four out of five stars.