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A review by katreads2022
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
MURAKAMI CANNOT WRITE WOMEN.
Like, seriously. His depiction of women, whom—unlike the other books of his I read—take up most of the energy in this book, is horrendous. They don’t feel like real characters. They feel like manic pixie dream girls envisioned by a man who doesn’t interact with women. And maybe that adds to the naïve narration of Toru, but some scenes are truly disgusting and quite frankly irredeemable. It’s a shame, since otherwise the prose is magnificently-written and immersive. The Murakami charm is definitely there: I felt like I was drawn into late 1960s Japan and could relate to the wistfulness of young adulthood portrayed. Unfortunately, the way in which women are portrayed in this book make “Norwegian Wood” one of my least-favourites from Murakami.
Like, seriously. His depiction of women, whom—unlike the other books of his I read—take up most of the energy in this book, is horrendous. They don’t feel like real characters. They feel like manic pixie dream girls envisioned by a man who doesn’t interact with women. And maybe that adds to the naïve narration of Toru, but some scenes are truly disgusting and quite frankly irredeemable. It’s a shame, since otherwise the prose is magnificently-written and immersive. The Murakami charm is definitely there: I felt like I was drawn into late 1960s Japan and could relate to the wistfulness of young adulthood portrayed. Unfortunately, the way in which women are portrayed in this book make “Norwegian Wood” one of my least-favourites from Murakami.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content