‘A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives Before He Dies. The Man Who Never Reads Lives Only One’ quotes the famous author George R. R. Martin and I couldn’t agree more. Books not only de-stress and improve your knowledge, they also inspire and help shape your personality as well. They expand our mind and creativity and take us on adventures, on journeys and tell us stories of people we’ve never met, places we haven't been to and worlds we can only imagine.
Good books leave a lasting impression on your life and impact your perceptions as well. One such book that gave me new perspectives is Norwegian Wood by the famous Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
‘I Once Had A Girl, Or Should I Say, She Once Had Me…’, as the sound of the Beatles singing Norwegian Wood give the ambience a nostalgic vibe, I set down my warm cup of tea and flip open the pages of the book by Haruki Murakami of the same name and as I acquaint myself with the words in front of me, I find myself being transported back to Japan, during the early 60s as I am introduced to the protagonist, a 37-year- old successful businessman, Toru Watanabe.
The novel opens with Watanabe who arrives at Hamburg, Germany, where he hears an orchestral cover of the Beatles' song ‘Norwegian Wood’ which overwhelms him and brings back his feelings of loss and saudade. Watanabe reminiscences and travels back to the early 1960s as he thinks of his best friend Kizuki and Naoko, Kizuki’s girlfriend. Watanabe remembers Kizuki as a friendly and kind boy who had a way with words, while Naoko believes that Kizuki and she are each other’s soulmates who are meant to be together forever and as a trio, they are all comfortable in each other’s company.
However, this idyllic existence is shattered with Kizuki’s unexpected suicide on his 17th Birthday. His death leaves a lasting effect on both Watanabe and Naoko as Watanabe feels the influence of death everywhere, while Naoko feels as if she had lost a part of her own self. The incident propels Watanabe to move to Tokyo to study and also to get away from it all and start afresh; it is here where he has an encounter with Naoko and the two begin spending time together.
At this juncture, Murakami introduces the vivacious Midori Kobayashi’s character who waltz’s in like a breath of fresh air in Watanabe’s life as he struggles with college and Naoko’s absence and is at a point where he is in the need for human presence. Further he adds in multifarious dimensions through the addition of characters such as Storm Trooper-Watanabe’s roommate, Nagasawa-whose friendship with Watanabe is initiated because of The Great Gatsby, a book they both love, Hatsumi-Nagasawa’s girlfriend and Reiko Ishida-who Watanabe is introduced to through Naoko, among others.
The book is very different from Murakami’s patent genre that often incorporates an underlying theme of surrealism. Norwegian Wood, on the other hand, tells a bittersweet coming of age story with pivotal themes of death, love and loss. As the story unfolds, it is beguiling to observe that the characters, although ordinary, have something extraordinary to offer. The characters seem very real and their emotions, raw. What is intriguing is how Murakami explores leitmotivs such as sex and homosexuality within somber themes of suicide and mental illness.
The book is brilliantly executed with its simplistic yet eloquent use of words. What really roused my interest was the character development, particularly, Watanabe and Midori. The characters are beautifully realised and although both characters have shades of grey, they balance each other in a certain unique way. Beside this, the ending struck quite a cord with me as although the ending does seem vague, it comes across as a moment of liberation for the characters, specifically Watanabe.
All in all, if you are a person who enjoys reading books more on the brighter side such as romantic comedies or chic lit, this isn’t a book that you may particularly enjoy.
However, having said that, I do recommend reading Norwegian Wood because although the book seems dark and melancholic in many ways, it is very profound. You cannot help but feel for the characters; you feel their loss, you feel their deep rooted, inexpressible emotions, you feel their love and their confusion as well. In conclusion, I do believe that Norwegian Wood is Murakami’s masterpiece that shouldn’t be missed.
(As Compiled By Prerna Mistry)
