The important of 'Norwegian Wood' by Haruki Murakami
And why young men, or really, men in general need to read this book
I’m sitting here, listening to Norwegian Wood on repeat.
No, not the audiobook.
Yes, The Beatles’ song.
And I have to admit, I have never heard this song until now. And I claim to be a Beatles fan? What a laugh.
And what a beautiful song!
But that is not what I am here to review.
I am here to review the novel Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. And, by God, this is going to be a tough review. I still don’t know where I sit with this book, having finished it just some moments ago. There are elements that are clear to me - the good, the bad. And, I feel, that will be the best way for me to structure this review. So sit back, read, agree, disagree, comment and engage, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Let’s get started - what is it about?
In Norwegian Wood, Murakami pulls us into the world of Toru Watanabe, a college student in Tokyo during the late 1960s. He navigates a landscape of loss and memory, haunted by the tragic death of his best friend, Kizuki, which still leaves a hollow ache years later. This loss connects him to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, a fragile and withdrawn soul whose own struggles with trauma become both a solace and a burden for Toru. As they grow closer, Toru’s feelings deepen, but Naoko’s descent into mental illness complicates their bond, adding a quiet despair to every encounter.
Amidst the turmoil, Toru meets Midori, a lively and unconventional classmate, who opens his world to new possibilities and a different kind of connection. Through Toru’s relationships with Naoko and Midori, Murakami explores the push and pull between past and present, love and loneliness, and the longing for something we can’t quite grasp. The novel beautifully captures a coming-of-age moment tinged with grief, as Toru tries to find his way forward in a world where answers are fleeting, and healing is anything but straightforward.
The Good
I loved this book for so many reasons, and the more I read it, the more I realised how important it was for young men, and middle aged men, to read this. Especially given the current state of mental health, men’s purpose in life and how society tends to view men in general.
Murakami’s writing style is beautiful. The metaphorical connections and figurative descriptions he creates are simply mind blowing. I don’t know how he comes up with these and he would be one of the only writers that makes me feel so inferior. He is simply a phenomenal writer.
Toru Watanabe is such a great character. He is the only character I actually liked in the novel. And he is a great narrator at that.
Honest. Loyal. Deeply sentimental and emotional. Yet stoic, hard working and determined in his pursuit of life, despite having little to no idea on what his purpose may be.
In essence, Toru Watanabe is what most men are struggling with nowadays - a lack of purpose, an inability to express oneself without fear of rejection and a complete disregard by others in society when going through emotionally tumultuous times.
Which brings me to the next part
The Bad
God, I despised absolutely every other character in this book. I’m going to go down in order of worst to… less worse.
Midori: She is horrible. A narcissist who lives in her own head. Who only cares for her own feelings, and completely ignores other’s struggles in life. A massive hypocrite who drags Toru Watanabe along. He treats her so well, even helping look after her dying father, yet when he goes through some serious pain, and she doesn’t hear from him for a while (which, I should add, she does the exact same thing to him, and he doesn’t blame her at all) she shuts him out. God I hate Midori. I don’t know if this was Murakami’s purpose, but that is how I feel.
Naoko: Do I feel sorry for Naoko? Absolutely. Losing the love of your life to suicide would be incredibly difficult. But, like Midori, she seems to completely ignore Watanabe’s emotions and his struggles and focuses entirely inwardly. I can accept this a lot more than Midori - Naoko is in a mental health facility, so of course she is being told to look out for herself.
Reiko: I liked Reiko’s character. Up until the point she excuses herself for a pedophilic act, under the guise that a 13 year old girl was ‘so charming and manipulative.’ Lady, you’re a grown woman. You know better than to sexually engage with a minor. So don’t even start playing for sympathy there. But, I recognise that she is the only character who shows some sympathy and care for Watanabe, so I like her in that respect.
Nagasawa: Nagasawa represents the worst elements of masculinity. An arrogant focus that sex means nothing. That he can cheat on his wonderful girlfriend. That other men are weak if they don’t join him. He corrupts the purity that is Watanabe. However, like Reiko, he seems to actually care for Watanabe’s feelings and is helping him the best he knows how to, irrespective of the toxicity he exudes towards women.
Final Thoughts
This might be cutting it short, but I’m now getting sick of listening to Norwegian Wood by The Beatles.
I really struggle to settle on a star rating here. I’ve ranged from 2 stars, to 5, and back to 3. So I’m going to settle with 4 stars. That makes sense, right?
Like I said, if, like me, you can push through hating almost every character in this book, and take something away from Murakami’s supposedly semi-autobiographical work, then this would be a good read for you. Especially if you are a man. But I’m sure women will find something great from this too - I just can’t qualify that in my male mind.
4/5 hated characters in the book, so 4/5 stars. Sure, we can go with that.
You should have Spoilers alert ‼️ I’ve got the book, saving the post for later.