Norwegian Wood

I have recently completed one of Haruki Murakami’s most famous works, ‘Norwegian Wood’.

The book, written in 1987 by Haruki Murakami, sold over 4 million copies in Japan alone. Much to his dismay, it made Haruki a pop idol in Japan, eventually leading him to move to Europe and the US.

He commented: “It became a phenomenon. It wasn’t just a book anymore. I didn’t want to be famous. I felt betrayed. I lost some of my friends. I don’t know why, but they left. I was not happy at all.”

The story is told from the perspective of Toru Watanabe, an 18-year-old student living in his dormitory. After the suicide of his friend, he becomes involved with Naoko, who becomes more and more unstable, unable to let go of the past. Toru also finds himself attracted to Midori, whose vivacity and assertive personality stand in sharp contrast to Naoko’s fragility. As Toru enters adulthood, he feels a responsibility to make the “right” choices and is left to figure them out on his own.

Readers familiar with Haruki’s style will quickly notice references to Western pop culture. The book’s title comes from a famous Beatles song. The characters drink Chivas Regal whisky, smoke Marlboros, read Thomas Mann and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and listen to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Bill Evans’s Waltz for Debby.

The main theme of the novel is the coming-of-age of a boy torn between two women, one representing life and the other representing death. Toru is caught between the two, running the risk of undermining both relationships through his indecisiveness.

Many questions about Toru’s life and loves remain unanswered at the novel’s conclusion. But this lack of tidy resolutions undoubtedly contributed to the book’s appeal.