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A review by emisbooks
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This review is full of spoilers and discussion of the triggering topics of this book, so please read with caution (TW: suicide, rape, mental health)
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Toru was a pain at times. He was a typical self-loathing, tiresome man. The coming of age aspect wasn't very strong because I felt there was little character development. I struggled to picture him as anything but a sad, middle-aged man despite him being 19-20.
There was far too much s*ic*de in this book, not that it was personally triggering to me, but it was just an overdone plot device. I felt like everyone was dying at their own hand with little explanation. We never found out why Kizuki committed, nor Nakao's sister, nor Hatsumi - though I have my assumptions as to why she did it, it was left unanswered. Naoko's death occurring made sense as her mental health was actually explored, but everything else felt like it was being used just to make Toru's life more sad without any reasoning.
I didn't like how everyone was cheating on their partners. Nagasawa was a terrible boyfriend, I kept forgetting that Midori even had a boyfriend considering she was so attached to Toru and giving him sexual favours all the time, and Toru was torn between two girls whilst also sleeping with strangers. Why did no one actually love anyone in this book? Hatsumi seemed to be the only one who actually had respect for her partner and wasn't cheating 24/7 like everyone else. Hatsumi's ending was rushed and I wanted to know more about her. The constant disloyalty in relationships in this book makes me realise that none of them were really good people after all.
As for things I did enjoy, my favourite character was Hatsumi. Though she was rarely brought up, I loved her personality and she felt like a good person. She definitely deserved a better boyfriend. Nagasawa treated her awfully. I'm glad she stuck up for herself after so long of being pushed to the side by him. Murakami's writing style is wonderful and I enjoyed the similies and descriptions he used. The pace of the book was alright considering the chapters were so long. The characters felt very realistic.
Overall, an average book. It's unlikely that I will read it again any time soon. For anyone who wants to read this, be prepared for a slightly annoying main character. Also check the content warnings before you read.
Toru was a pain at times. He was a typical self-loathing, tiresome man. The coming of age aspect wasn't very strong because I felt there was little character development. I struggled to picture him as anything but a sad, middle-aged man despite him being 19-20.
There was far too much s*ic*de in this book, not that it was personally triggering to me, but it was just an overdone plot device. I felt like everyone was dying at their own hand with little explanation. We never found out why Kizuki committed, nor Nakao's sister, nor Hatsumi - though I have my assumptions as to why she did it, it was left unanswered. Naoko's death occurring made sense as her mental health was actually explored, but everything else felt like it was being used just to make Toru's life more sad without any reasoning.
I didn't like how everyone was cheating on their partners. Nagasawa was a terrible boyfriend, I kept forgetting that Midori even had a boyfriend considering she was so attached to Toru and giving him sexual favours all the time, and Toru was torn between two girls whilst also sleeping with strangers. Why did no one actually love anyone in this book? Hatsumi seemed to be the only one who actually had respect for her partner and wasn't cheating 24/7 like everyone else. Hatsumi's ending was rushed and I wanted to know more about her. The constant disloyalty in relationships in this book makes me realise that none of them were really good people after all.
As for things I did enjoy, my favourite character was Hatsumi. Though she was rarely brought up, I loved her personality and she felt like a good person. She definitely deserved a better boyfriend. Nagasawa treated her awfully. I'm glad she stuck up for herself after so long of being pushed to the side by him. Murakami's writing style is wonderful and I enjoyed the similies and descriptions he used. The pace of the book was alright considering the chapters were so long. The characters felt very realistic.
Overall, an average book. It's unlikely that I will read it again any time soon. For anyone who wants to read this, be prepared for a slightly annoying main character. Also check the content warnings before you read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Sexual harassment