Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami [BOOK REVIEW]

TITLE: Norwegian Wood

AUTHOR: Haruki Murakami

PUBLISHER: VINTAGE

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1987 CE

SUMMARY:

When he hears her favorite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in the world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marched into his life and he had to choose between the future and the past.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

"What happens when people open their hearts?"

"They get better."

REVIEW:
How does it feel to be struck in dilemma of choosing between moving on to a happy present or holding on to the hurting past? How does it feel to love a girl with all your heart who doesn't love you back? 

Toru Watanabe was in a flight when the sweet music of her favorite song, Norwegian Wood by The Beatles reaches his ears, it triggers a tsunami of memories from his college years with it came the memory of his first love, Naoko, girlfriend of his bestfriend Kizuki.
Murakami beautifully captures the lifestyle of japanese people in late 1960s Japan; This story revolves around common coming of age issues like friendship, love, relationships, hurt, unrequited love, sorrow, depression, etc.
 

Norwegian Wood perhaps one of the best piece of the 20th century literary art. Set in late sixties the story revolves around the narrator's college years, the narrator writes this memoir as a mean of remembering and honouring the memory of his first love, Naoko who happens to be the girlfriend of his best friend, Kizuki.

The story deals with the common coming of age issues like love, friendship, mental illness, sex, loss, depression, and sorrow. It is commonly claimed that this book is a deviation from the common mythical and fantacy theme of Murakami Books. The story is completely down to earth and relatable, this book will for sure leave a mark and will be an amazing addition to your book shelf.

To summarise the story in a sentence, this can be described as a tale of dilemma between holding on to the hurting past or moving on to the happy present.

BOOK COVER

I liked the minimalistic design and the similarity to the Japanese flag. The art represents a forest and makes English alphabet 'H' representating author's name.