01.Aug.2007 Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I really like Murakami’s style of writing. This is the first of his book that I read, for sure I will keep going to read all of his books. I guess if I were ever to write a novel, I would HOPE to write like him.
It’s hard to explain what’s the book about. My friend Justin put it simply with his thick British accent, “It’s about nothing really, but I just can’t stop reading it. All the characters in the book have at least some degree of mental illness.” I’d also like to add that a few of them commit suicide. Oh and there’s a lot of sex going on too. Very Japanese-y if you ask me. All the quirkiness and suicide culture..
There’s one whole chapter all about conversation on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, there’s a lot of meaningless conversation in this book. How Murakami makes it interesting, it’s all in his master skill :). You gotta read it for yourself.
People say that this book is the only one of Murakami’s that’s very close to reality. The rest is all dreamlike and surreal. In any way, Norwegian Wood was the one shot him to fame. It’s very popular in Japan, Korea, and Western hemisphere.
~ Finished it on 10 July 2007
1987 (Japanese), 2000 (English), 400 pp
Memorable Quotes
“Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I’m made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them.” ~ Toru Watanabe
“All of us are imperfect human beings living in an imperfect world. We don’t live with the mechanical precision of a bank account or by measuring all our lines and angles with rulers and protractors.” ~ Reiko Ishida
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