Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

31 reviews

janainthebooks's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I understand it is the perspective of a 19 year old boy but the way women are viewed and described in this book is extremely superficial, overtly sexual and plane boring. This one sided and objectifying way of storytelling takes away from the depth of the story and the of the characters. The story itself is rather slow paced and at times hard to get through, but gets more interesting in the last third. All in all its an intriguing plot and some passages are beautifully poetic, but it could've been executed better. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Suicide, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Minor: Classism

storieswithannej's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

DNF at 57%

The scene with the 13 yo girl and what Reiko and Naoko said about this psychological illness not going to heal triggered me. Now every next line that Reiko would mention "snap!" I felt like something in me's snapping too, that I need to pause for a while because it suddenly felt too much. I felt my heart beat racing too and I need a breather. I can't seem to remove that image from my mind.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Suicide

claukv's review

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Minor: Lesbophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Body shaming

dqueen's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Hated this book and the depiction of women. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that it was written in a different time, but the descriptions were awful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Suicide

zarajackson's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Murakami’s writing style is beautiful and easy to read. The content of this novel, however, is not for anyone who is depressed or just can’t stand reading deeply disturbing thoughts from deeply disturbed characters. There isn’t much growth in these characters and it’s just hard to read sometimes, and it makes you wonder why you’re reading it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Sexual assault

leabharlady's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, and Sexism

ficteon's review against another edition

2.5

This book is a rollercoaster and I have very mixed opinions of it. I'll try to keep it spoiler free. 

This book would've been amazing! If Murakami kept his weird fetishes, opinions about women and periods and weird view points to himself. 

I went from crying to cringing and thats very bizar. I've given other books by Murakami such great ratings (as there he kept his dumb outdated ideas to himself.) Very ironic is that one sentence in the book is on how another book is outdated... which made me laugh, as look at yourself 

One thing I loved about this book is how Murakami writes death. He made me sob about characters I've only known for 1 or two sentences. He is a great writer! Just this book has pages after pages with just misinformation and cringeworthy sex. 

Can this man stop talking about periods and talk to his wife about them to learn how they work???? Its just embarrassing. 

'Im not like other girls'? plenty

Rape fetish? included. 

Victim blaming? Yup.

Unconsentual sex? Yesss

No we women don't scream at strangers or friends and become uncontrollable monsters on our periods. Thanks murakami for seeing your wife this way. 

The last pages I went from absolutely sad and loving the words to cringing as the mc cums in a women without consent. Not that the women minded ofc, they never do as women are sexdolls in this book. 

Some quotes to show the problematic writing:

"Know what I did the other day?" Midori asked. "I got all naked in front of my father's picture. Took off every stitch of clothing and let him have a good long look. Kind of in a yoga position. Like, "here, daddy, these are my tits, and this is my cunt."

"Ok, I'll wear a hat for a couple of days after my period starts. A red one. That should work," she said with a laugh. "If you see me on the street and I'm wearing a red hat, don't talk to me, just run away."
"Great. I wish all girls would do that."

The mc and a girl are going to a porn movie in an adult cinema (its the 70s) and they are watching a s&m rape kidnap fantasy movie where two sisters get kidnapped and raped and ofc like it as porn. 
"If I were the younger sister, I wouldn't get worked up so easily" said midori. "I'd keep watching" 

Oh people are looking up my skirt??? Mmmmmh I love to be seen as a sex object anyway so idc. Well one thing is right though! The women in this book are not like other girls!! As no real women would react like the women do in this book. 

I think from page 100 to 200 it was only bad page after bad page. And then after it kept returning as well again and again but those 100 pages were cruel. 

And don't get me started on the pedophilia!!! As the age of consent was (since recently was) 13 Its not seen as pedophilia to mr Murakami that one character had sex with a 13 year old. Yes!! The character was raped by this child. Thats bad! But if you read that part the woman thats raped by the girl is not upset about it being a child, she was actually into it!!! She only rejected having sex WITH A CHILD because it was cheating on her husband. Was she raped - yes! Was she attracted to this 13 year old - Also yes!!! It was absolutely gross. 

Again the writing is absolutely stunnningggg. He is just an outdated male writer which is a flaw. It's not all his books and ill keep reading them as they do have a lot to them. Just this one wasn't it at allll. Still it has amazing moments it in it as well so I'm not completely hating it either. See complex relationships with the book. 

The emotional writing is stunning. Murakami can make you feel big emotions (even if he ruins that with cringe shit after but ok) His words and way of writing is amazing and in his other two books I read he really does it soooo well. 

When it wasn't about the cringeworthy stuff the mc really had some good things to say. It just always got ruined by him saying something bad a second after. 

Tw for suicide.. as lots of people kill themselves in this book. You could say its almost the whole plot.

I look forward to reading his other work. But again.. this was not it for me. Even if there is a reason for the grossness (which I don't think so. He is just an old guy born in a conservative society.) The reading experience really got ruined. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Child death, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bexdot's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

3.5 ⭐️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Death

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

bunitsu's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

oh lord was this a journey. i have never read a book so fast. without the time i took a break, it only took me 7 days to read. even though i had to take a break after a while due to the intensity of certain things in the book, before those things happened i couldn’t put the book down. beautifully written but as always it’s not murakami without misogyny.  i hated a lot of moments in the books, some things i couldn’t comprehend why one would do some of the stuff he did. it just didn’t make sense but i will never stop reading murakami because of the beauty of his writing style.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Grief, Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death, Abandonment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

bcooper21's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization