A story of love and more: Norwegian Wood

What happens when you often find yourself confused about different types of love? The love which develops with time or the love which happens with someone of our own kind! Norwegian Wood is a nostalgic story of loss and burgeoning sexuality. The book is a narration by Toru Watanabe, the protagonist who looks back to the days when he was a college student. The story makes you realise that sometimes to find whom you truly love can make you go through a lot of unexpected journeys and in that exploration you meet new people, you lose some really close people but life never stops. Whatsoever happens, life goes on, sometimes walking alone on a winter night and sometimes holding the hand of a dearest person. Haruki Murakami has done justice to the book by starting with a concept we tend to ignore that one can be in love again and again. The book keeps the hope alive and strengthens it when Watanabe finally realises whom he has truly loved. Norwegian Wood is considered to be Murakami’s best work and it truly is for teaching us lessons of life which can only be learnt by experiences.
The language of the book is simple and the book holds you in its beauty all of the time. You become part of Watanabe’s journey and will always be left awestruck at the twists that come into the plot. The title of the book, “Norwegian Wood” is a song by The Beatles that was being played at the very beginning of the plot and reminds Watanabe of all the things in his past. More such songs are discussed in the rest of the plot and the beauty lies in the feel that you often get that realisation that the song is playing in the background.

Though Murakami’s art will infuse you with enthralling love and life lessons my favourite is, “Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it’s time for them to be hurt.”

This is the story of endurance but if you are looking for some emotional read that leaves a smile when you end then this is the right pick!