Norwegian Wood

With my decision to start reading for fun, I decided to dive into the work of Haruki Murakami. The first book in my plan was Norwegian Wood. Unlike most of Murakami's other works, Norwegian Wood lacks any magical realism, and instead follows the experiences of a young man. Though he is thirty-seven in "the present", the story mostly follows his life during and a little after his college days in the sixties. As with all of Haruki Murakami's writing, Norwegian Wood is incredibly thoughtful, and though slow at times, creates a rich story.

In place of a dynamic plot full of action and twists, Murakami builds complex and varied characters. The lives of these characters don't feel dynamic, but rather live their lives at the same pace of most people. The humanity in Norwegian Wood was really something that I appreciated. Nothing about the book was glamorous in the least. Though these were all qualities I enjoyed, the story is definitely not for some people. There are also frequent sex conversations and acts, as well as numerous suicides.

I would definitely recommend Norwegian Wood to someone who enjoys coming-of-age stories and reflective novels. It's really a great work.

-Spoilers below- 


Though I wish to avoid summarizing the plot, I can't help but share my interpretation on the ending for anyone who has also read the book. When I first finished the last few paragraphs, I was hella confused. The story went from sex with the roommate of suddenly-deceased Naoko to a scene in a telephone booth when Wantanabe calls a confused Midori. 

"At last, Midori's quiet voice broke the silence: 'Where are you now?'

Where was I now?

Gripping the receiver, I raised my head and turned to see what lay beyond the telephone booth. Where was I now. I had no idea. No idea at all. Where was this place? All that flashed into my eyes were the countless shapes of people walking by nowhere. Again and again, I called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place.?

Murakami's attempt at creating an open ending was definitely successful. Immediately after finishing the last paragraph, I went online to search for interpretations. My interpretation is that after Naoko's death Wanatanbe continues the traveling that he had begun after he heard of her end. We, as readers, know that he has moved around a lot since. He backpacks throughout Japan, and there's also the scene at the West coast where he has a realization about Hatsumi. I believe that the last section actually follows the beginning, where Wantanabe is in the airplane and stumbles upon his memories with an overwhelming emotional and physical reaction. Many many years after Naoko is gone, he realizes that he doesn't want to lose Midori, or himself.