‘Norwegian Wood’ is the book that made Haruki Murakami a household name in Japan (as well as the rest of the world after it was translated into English in 2000). It’s a book everyone in Japan has read according to Jay Ruben, the book’s translator.  And that says a lot about the book’s popularity considering Murakami has written several novels, short story collections, as well as memoirs.

Murakami’s readers shot to millions after the publication of Norwegian Wood but it apparently depressed the author. He could deal with fame but the sudden stardom was too much for him so he moved to the United States in 1991. It was only in 1995 that he returned to Japan but he had his terms and conditions: He would not appear on television to talk about his work.

One would wonder what a masterpiece Murakami must have written to have a whole nation going crazy over him. Norwegian Wood was different from everything he had written till then. He had never written a straight, simple story. It was a challenge for him. But he enjoyed writing it and it was perhaps that joy of telling a story that lent his writing a whole other dimension. It was also perhaps what made readers connect with his work.

Norwegian Wood is essentially a story about love, loss, and longing. And we all can relate to these emotions pretty well. It’s written in first person narrative style. The main character is Toru Watanabe and he reminisces about his college days in Tokyo when he was in love with a girl. The book explores his relationship with two women, Naoko and Midori Kobayashi. Each of the three characters experience loss and grief and have his/her own ways of dealing with it. You could also call it a coming of age story of a sensitive young man who doesn’t fit into the conventional norms of society.

I had read Norwegian Wood when I was in college. I remember enjoying it but it didn’t get me hooked on Murakami as it did for some of my other reader friends. I had a few friends who read Murakami back to back because they were so bowled over by Norwegian Wood. I didn’t pick up Murakami’s other works until much later. But reading his other works made me want to reread Norwegian Wood. Most of his stories are bizarre and you need time to wrap your head about them. So I can understand the appeal of a simple story like Norwegian Wood, where things feel relatable but there’s still the Murakami style intrigue that you have come to expect and love.

Rereading Norwegian Wood as an adult felt surreal. I got the feeling of ‘been there done that’ that brought lost memories to mind and forced me to ponder over some of the things I had done. I feel it’s a good book to pick up in your late teens or early 20s, when you are trying to make sense of the world and where you fit in it. But if you haven’t read Murakami and you aren’t in your teens or early 20s, don’t let that stop you from reading the book. It’s not a fun story. It’s intense, complicated, and sad too. But it’s a good story that is well worth your time. 

Fiction

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

Translated in English by Jay Ruben

Published: 1987

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 389, Paper