A great literary read.Over the years I have read a wide range of genres. Doing so has certainly added to my enjoyment but doubt any reader would claim doing so makes them anything special LOL. What it means is that life is complicated, that there is no one size fits all, that tracking down a murderer can be entertaining but so can entering the inner workings of the mind of certain characters, in this case students outside the mainstream, loners who do not fraternize and party with their peers. It is also interesting what attracts readers to a book. For me it was the title, then the description since I was unfamiliar with Haruki Murakami a the time. Thankfully that has now changed.Others have very adequately summarized the plot of Norwegian Wood so let me just say this is a literary book. There are no serial killers or car chases in it. For that I read one of several masters of the action genre, Barry Eisler for example. What is in this book is an interesting look at how hard growing up can be for some young people. According to statista.com there were 12.5 to 13.2 suicides per 100,000 in the population between 1950-1970, the period (60's) covered in this book. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services: "The suicide rate among people aged 10–24 . . . increased 62% from 2007 through 2021 (from 6.8 deaths per 100,000 to 11.)" Why do young people end their lives? Why?There is no one-reason-fits-all explanation but in my opinion this book allows us to visit what happens to its characters in this particular age group. Each person is well presented within his/her own parameters/psychosis and that includes the 13 year old female. Children like that do in fact exist. I label them negative manipulators. They learn very early how to manipulate themselves into and out of any situation, always to the detriment of those caught up in one of the negative manipulations. A John Steinbeck novel, "East of Eden," has such a character and there was such a person in my neighborhood when growing up. All 13 year olds do NOT behave as we wish them to. In fact, few people will fit into a predetermined ideal of what we think them to be.I do not like SPOILERS but they seemed to flow out of me anyway while writing this. So, then, please note that the remainder of this post contains SPOILERS. Interpretation of events and even written words varies from individual to individual. It appeared to me that Naoko did not refute Toru's advances on his visit and even noted that for the first time ever she got wet, a fact she discussed with him afterward. She improved off and on for a time before starting the downward slide once again. While in the free-form type sanatorium she seemed to enjoy Toru's visits. He visited at her invitation. She kept his letters. What tipped her over the edge was not clear as she even worsened under more advanced care at another sanatorium. Prior to ending her life she did note that she did not want to be violated again which I took to mean loss of control. A matter of perspective? When one thinks on it, it is a miracle so many of us survive the growing-up process and become productive adults. Tragically, Kizuki and Naoko did not survive but it appears that Reiko has a chance since she left the sanatorium. Will Midori and Toru make it and do so together? Another character, Nagasawa, had well developed aspirations so he seems to be headed off into the land of adulthood on his own terms. Realistically but tragically, unhappy people like Naoko decide to end their lives. Even so, literary books like Norwegian Wood will not appeal to everyone but for those of us who enjoy a good literary read, then this book is highly recommended. I look forward to reading other Murakami books.4
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