Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is an author I am somewhat familiar with after reading his strange and captivating Kafka on the Shore. So, after receiving Norwegian Wood (named after the Beatles song) as a gift from my Dad, I had good expectations and I was not disappointed.

Norwegian Wood is set in 1960's Japan (mainly Tokyo), and follows the life of student Toru Watanabe. Essentially a love story, Toru must choose between his first love, the sad Naoko, or his new love, quirky Midori. Toru's decision is made harder by the fact that he feels responsible for Naoko's well-being, as she was the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki, who killed himself when he was seventeen.

The story is first-person, from Toru's point of view. He is an interesting character, who is compared to Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) by other characters within the story. Initially, his life seems to revolve around Naoko, with whom he feels a strong connection to as neither have really got over the death of Kizuki. Naoko is sent to a sanatorium by her parents after showing no signs of recovering from the shock of her boyfriends death, and is befriended by Reiko, another patient. After visiting Naoko, Toru and Reiko soon become friends, and eventually Reiko becomes a helpful 'middle man' between the couple. Toru and Naoko have a complicated relationship, and become pseudo-lovers. However, Toru's feelings begin to change when he meets Midori in a cafe one day. Midori, is a breath of fresh air compared to Naoko. She is loud and crass and brings out a different side in Toru. I won't spoil the ending, but I would say that I was happy with the outcome!

Murakami's writing style is simple but humorous, and his descriptions of life as a love-struck student in 1960's Tokyo really transport the reader to Japan. I was able to visualise everywhere he described, and whenever Toru ate (which was depicted in some detail), I felt the need to go out for sushi. I liked the character Toru, and found myself unsure of which couple (Toru and Naoko or Toru and Midori) I was rooting for.

Although not exactly a page turner, Norwegian Wood ticked along nicely, and I enjoyed it. It was an easy read, but took me quite a while to get through, as the story was quite slow relaxed. Although not as unusual and surreal as Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood has definitely affirmed my love for Japanese novels, and I plan on reading (and reviewing) more soon.