fearofcommitment 's review for:

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

5.0

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whether you feel fond of murakami or not, whatever your value judgment, you have to admit—he has a way with words that not many writers do. i read norwegian wood five years ago, and to this day, this part lives in the back of my mind, as a constant reminder:

you try too hard to make life fit your way of doing things. if you don't want to spend time in an insane asylum, you have to open up a little more and let yourself go with life's natural flow. i'm just a powerless and imperfect woman, but still, there are times when i think to myself how wonderful life can be! believe me, it's true! so stop what you're doing this minute and get happy. work at making yourself happy!
needless to say, i do feel sorry that you and naoko could not see things through to a happy ending. but who can say what's best? that's why you need to grab whatever chance you have at happiness where you find it, and not worry about other people too much. my experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a lifetime, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives.
i'm playing the guitar every day for no one in particular. it seems a bit pointless. i don't like dark, rainy nights, either. i hope i'll have another chance to play my guitar and eat grapes with you and naoko in the room with me.
ah, well, until then —
reiko ishida