Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.
After reading a couple of pages, you get the gist of it, the author straight up tells you that he's actually writing because of a girl, Naoko, who he seems to start forgetting because.. well, just cause..
It's an autobiographical kind of book, which means that you're seeing everything in his, Watanabe Toru's point of view. Well, Toru's an odd one, definitely, I mean I love reading on characters that thinks he's just an ordinary human being living his life with his own views, not caring much about what society thinks of him and such bla bla blaaa yadaa yadaa yadaaa... when it's actually the opposite.
He, well, I think a part of him died the night his best friend, Kazuki, died when they were 17. Well, the reason he went to Tokyo was for him to get away from everything which reminds him of Kazuki. Starts a new life. His favourite book : The Great Gatsby, which I should start reading by the way (takes note). Anyway, the author, Mr Haruki tend to mention that he's similar to the guy from Catcher in the Rye, I know cause I've read that book too. He seems to seclude himself because he doesn't want to form any kind of attachment because I think, partly because of Kazuki though. This is just my thoughts.
So, he reconnected with Naoko, Kazuki's gf and somehow falls in love along the way. I mean, clearly Naoko is still not over his death yet, a miserable one, that girl is. She just straight up left him once they slept together, I mean, yeah you'd understand since she's depressed but I still think, pity Toru though. Well, despite everything, in the end she did a selfish thing by killing herself too. But then again, you know looking at her, from her point of view, I don't think she thinks it's selfish, it's a solution, her older sister, Kazuki, well, if she's also miserable, then why not? You'd think that it's a given to kill yourself since everybody around you seems to do so.
And Midori, girl seems to be too ahead of her time, given that you're living during the era where students are protesting, hippies on the move and all. Still, she's got a mind of her own and Toru seems to be able to communicate with her and has an answer to almost everything that she's curious about. And thus, she can't help but fall for him although he's not much of a looker (is what she said, though for me anybody with the name Toru is attractive, just cause.. don't ask, even I don't know why lol!)
Anyway, the thing is, Toru's also a bit fucked up in his own kind of way though everybody seems to adore him. I guess, he's got this special aura where he's not trying to pull you to him but somehow you just can't help but get pulled along. That kind of force. He's a bit of a masochist? or maybe too much of an optimist? Like, he's ok with Naoko contacting him after a few months when the fact was, she left him just like that, BAM! And also, he's ok with Midori not talking to him for a few months though eventually he realised that, he's also in love with the girl. He's a bit miserable but not so much when Midori didn't speak to him.
If I were him, I'd move on? Maybe.
But we can see, that calm, mysterious a bit personality totally crumbled when Naoko died. He was a freaking mess. He'd decided to move on before, as we can see from the letter that he gave to Reiko but I guess, it's just too shocking. Hell, even I'd be like that if it were me.
Oh, I don't get it why in the end he slept with Reiko, I mean sure she's gotten the strength to leave that place but to think that they did it 4 TIMES? It just, doesn't make any sense. I mean after he talked to Nagasawa's girl, Hatsumi, he stopped sleeping with random girls and endured it just by thinking of Naoko, but that point. at THAT point, he's already realised he loved Midori too no? So why? He didn't do anything to Midori except kiss and that's it, but... yeah, that's why I think it's kinda fucked up, and forever will be, Toru's mind, that is.
And it's an open ending, you know at the end, he contacted Midori after sending off Reiko but.. I'd like to think it was a good end.
The books got a few memorable quotes, ok, maybe heaps of memorable quotes, my top 2 is as below:
1) Death is not the opposite but as a part of life - Toru
2) If you're reading what everyone else is reading, then you can only think what everyone else is thinking - Nagasawa
(but I'll put a special post dedicated to those memorable quotes, just cause I love it damn LOT!)
I'd like to know too what happened to Stormtrooper, about Nagasawa and Hatsumi, like how the heck did she end up marrying some other dude and killed herself 2 years later, what about Midori's dads last words to Toru, Ueno station and all but we'll never know. I've read in the net that if Mr Harumi writes, it's like that. It doesn't end neatly? I don't know how to describe it but yeah.. Basically it's that. I need to read more books by him then I'll get what everyone is saying.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like, really, the dry jokes, the angst, the complicated feelings, the diversity of the characters, oh god, but above all, the way Mr Haruki describes everything, you thought you're in Japan, legit not kidding. Or maybe you thought, you forgot that you're a girl and thinks YOU are Toru instead, lol, ok maybe not, but I super loved it. I can even read it again. And again. As how Toru likes to read Gatsby, this book does that to me too.
That's about it.
GOOD VIBES, ALWAYS lol~
