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A review by meliflowers
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
challenging
emotional
tense
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
2.0
The translation was insanely good and I really love how Murakami carefully chooses his words and describes the monotonous life and the world and its noises and scents so prettily.
But gosh getting through this book was hell of a task. Especially once you've reached the halfway mark. The protagonist, Toru Watanabe, is insufferable and all the other characters (Naoko, Reiko and Midori) solely exist within his vision.
The message is to live one and to choose for happiness whenever you can but the delivery was so obnoxious and pretentious.
Two stars because I like the writing and the setting. Would not recommend it unless you enjoy torturing yourself.
But gosh getting through this book was hell of a task. Especially once you've reached the halfway mark. The protagonist, Toru Watanabe, is insufferable and all the other characters (Naoko, Reiko and Midori) solely exist within his vision.
The message is to live one and to choose for happiness whenever you can but the delivery was so obnoxious and pretentious.
Two stars because I like the writing and the setting. Would not recommend it unless you enjoy torturing yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Suicide