NORWEGIAN WOOD by HARUKI MURAKAMI

Norwegian Wood is a twisted, sad love story.

Shocked by the sudden death of Kizuki, both Toru (the bestfriend) and Naoko (the girlfriend) took it hard on themselves. Toru realized how much of his life depended on his dear companion. He eventually fell in love with Naoko, but she had to leave and be in a sanatorium because she was sick. While trying to keep his promise of patiently waiting for Naoko to get better, Toru met Midori whose company he truly enjoyed. When it had sunk into him that Naoko chose death over his love, he decided to move on and pursue a relationship with Midori.

Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life. – Toru

I am not a fan of serious and sad love stories. I try to avoid novels with such theme as much as possible because sometimes they’re contagious. I get so affected and sad as well. Haha. Surprisingly, though, I enjoyed reading this one. J

Norwegian Wood is definitely not a chick-lit. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not intended to make readers giggle. The characters were not in a good place during the entire story. They were broken and incomplete. They’ve all been struggling for love. There really was no chance for twitterpatting moments.

There were also many accounts of death here, most of which were suicide. Aside from love, this novel also talked about death and how people who were left behind deal with it, suffer from it. At this point, I believe this part is what made the book a deep one.

When your feelings build up and harden and die inside, then you're in big trouble. – Reiko

The characters’ experiences were just so sad and terrible that I sometimes thought it was just too much for their age. Their lives, at such a young age, had been that toxic which only made it more distressing for the readers. You see, if I were in their position, I think I would’ve done crazier things. Haha!

It’s nice that the novel has side stories about other characters. It provided avenues for the readers to understand where the other characters, like Nagasawa, Midori and Reiko, are coming from and why they’re such and such. This provides readers the chance to enjoy and like the other characters more.

You can’t expect thrill once you open this book. Norwegian Wood doesn’t have that kind of kick, none of anything that’ll make you want to flip through the pages faster. It’ll only invite you to go with the flow and just be with the characters, instead. This is not to say that the book is boring or anything like that.

All in all, the book was a serious but still enjoyable one. It somehow taught me that we should not let the sad experiences drag us down. People deserve a chance to move forward, but it doesn’t mean they’ll forget the ones who left.

When you're surrounded by endless possibilities, one of the hardest things you can do is pass them up. – Nagasawa

FYI, guys, this book’s title, Norwegian Wood, is taken from a lovely song of The Beatles from their Rubber Soul album. The song goes like this.

Are you done reading this book? Share your thoughts! 

Photo source: http://thebookstop.wordpress.com
Video source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY5i4-rWh44

1Q84 by HARUKI MURAKAMI

Risk is the spice of life. – Komatsu

Hooray! So happy I’m finally done reading 1Q84! (This is a late post, though.)

FYI, the original version of 1Q84 was written in Japanese and divided into three separate books. The version I read, though, had been translated in English and published as a single book. You could only imagine how much effort and how many days I spent just to finish this. Haha!

              

Aomame had been transported into a two-mooned world she called 1Q84 where logic didn’t seem to fit in. Tengo rewrote a novel by Sakigake member Fuka-Eri entitled Air Chrysalis, which he didn’t know would be the turning point of his life. From there on, many secrets had been revealed. The events which transpired interwove the characters’ destinies.

There’s nothing wrong with not looking like something. It just means you don’t fit the stereotype yet. – Professor Ebisuno

1Q84 is a fiction of everything serious and profound. It’s like whatever you read means something else or something deep. And since it is a mix of different genres (drama, suspense, thriller, romance), one moment you feel for the character’s tragic life; next thing you know you’re anxious about a chapter’s turnout.

1Q84 is a book full of mysteries. Instead of becoming boring and confusing with overflowing mysteries, 1Q84 just keeps on drawing you into it. And since this novel has a very unique story, it can also be expected that the complications will be just as extraordinary. The total cluelessness as to where the story is headed, even when I am already done with a couple of hundred pages, has pushed me to continue. It’s that ignorance that got me hooked.

The characters of the story were strong. By strong, I meant they were able to put up with their roles. The course of their actions matched their personalities well. J

Somewhere along the story, I felt like I was reading a book within a book. As you should already know by now, 1Q84 is a book about another book which is Air Chrysalis. It reminded me of the movie Inception – dream within a dream within a dream. Cool beans! J 

It could be that everything’s decided in advance and we pretend we’re making choices. Free will may be an illusion. – Aomame

If there were anything I didn’t like much about the book, it would be the fact that it ended abruptly! If you had read the story, you’d know that was not where it should’ve ended. The conclusion wasn’t that satisfying. There were still a lot of things which needed answers. What would happen to the Sakigake? What was the purpose of the little one in Aomame’s belly? What about the new air chrysalis the Little People were doing? What about Tengo’s new novel? But the author decided to finish the story right there and then, so poof, end of story. I don’t know, but I strongly believe there are still lots of unresolved issues here.

After reading, I was left afloat not knowing what to think. I didn’t know what to feel. It seemed like there was so much going on I didn’t know where to focus.

Overall, I gotta say I enjoyed it still. I mean, I wouldn’t have finished it if it weren’t that interesting at all. A nicer ending could’ve made it a whole lot better, though. J

There are certain meanings that are lost forever the moment they are explained in words. – Leader Tamotsu Fukada

Are you done reading this book? Share your thoughts!

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