Book Review: "Norwegian Wood", Haruki Murakami

Hee hee, addressing item number 5 on my "to do list", but *looking at the list* its just as long as before...*sigh*

Before I read this book, I didn't know what to think of "Norwegian Wood". In fact, I had never heard of it until Chris told me about it, who felt it was a depressing story. So the next time I was in the Rowden White Library, I remembered that conversation and looked for that book. Would the book be as depressing as he said...

Norwegian Wood follows the life of Toru, who is a Japanese university student in the 1960's. At the start of the story, a middle aged Toru recalls memories about Naoko, who is the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki, who committed suicide on his eighteenth birthday. As I read this, I thought, oh great, its just going to be about how these guys shared an amazing love for one another, drawn together by the suicide of someone dear to them, then something will tear them apart and they aren't able to spend the rest of their lives together. Like a chick flick, cept that in a chick flick, you know that there will be a happy ending ie. the two main characters will get together despite all these obstacles against them. But don't get me wrong, I love watching chick flicks (though they have to be done well) :)

However, I was pleasantly surprised as I continued to read Toru's story. The relationship between Toru and Naoko was one of the main elements of the story, but what really became the main story for me was personal development of Toru as the relationship between him and Naoko progressed, and the relationship between Toru and Midori, who is another university student who brightens up the story with her vibrant personality. That's a character who's not afraid to be who she is! Wish I could be like that...Anyway, what I liked most as I read how Toru develops during in the story is that it seems REAL. It isn't spiced up for literary purposes, it is told in such a way that it includes the horribly depressing parts as well as the heartening parts. I could empathise with that. Life isn't always about the events that make your heart soar/smile, its also about the events that make you depressed/angry/sad etc. Towards the last half of the novel, I couldn't put it down, I had to find out how Toru's journey turned out. And I have to say, the ending was fitting (I was jumping up and down cheering...good thing I was at home *lol*), although it was excruciatingly painful to get to that point.

So, what did I think? It had its depressing points, as suicide and depression are constant features in this story. However, this story depicts a guy's personal journey which was touching where anyone I think could empathise with at least some of it. And I finished this book with a sense of hope, that despite dark and depressing times that happen in life, they don't last forever. You have to know what you want and not be afraid to take risks. So I definitely recommend this book if you want to follow a person's journey in a snap shot of their life. And despite it being set in the 1960's it could easily be set in a more modern setting.