Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

Goodreads : 3/5

Genre : Novel

Language : English 

Translation from Japanese : Jay Rubin

Norwegian Wood  is my first Murakami read . I should mention first that I was torn between giving it 2 stars or 3 stars . I end up giving 3 stars for reasons I'll mention afterward .

What usually attracts in any book I read is the characters and I usually do my review based on them . But since this time, I couldn't relate to any of them , I'll  review it in a diffrent way . I'll mention the things I disliked and the ones I liked . But first , let me give a light idea about the story .

It's about Toru Watanabe : basically the narrator in this book who goes back with his memory to his college days , reminiscing his fails , his disappointments , his friends then basically his relationships and sex life with different women (Naoko , Midori and Reiko)  .

I start with things I disliked

- The story is at some parts so slow and boring .
- So much sexual content ( not like I'm against it at first place) . But I think , it was so excessive and not needed at some parts .
- I feel story has lost its first purpose which was enlightening readers about the importance of the mental health and sexuality at many parts .
- Some events lacks clearness and here maybe it's already Murakami style to always question things in his books .

Things I liked :

- God I loved the writing style . As someone who likes details , and who needs to feel textures and smell smells while reading , I say Murakami is a genius .
- The subjects are important and the way Murakami made mental health and sexuality somehow related was something so smart . I've a little knowlege about the Japanese culture , Murakami has pointed some of his people issues .
- I like books in which I find other books recommendations . In Norwegian Wood , Watanabe was a bookworm , so we got a lot of titles of books and made me curious and wonder : Are these books related to the devellopement of the Characters personalities
- I liked how I kept questionning the book title until I discovered by the end the reason . The Beatles ' Norwegian Wood is Naoko favorite song .

As I mentioned previously , I decided to give it a 3 stars because the things I liked has influences me more than the things I disliked .

The movie adapatation of the book  was released in Japan in 2010 .