Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

 

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is my first read of Murakami books. The story is a nostalgic account of a boy Toru Watanabe of his late teens or rather emerging adulthood. His college life, his relationships with friends and very specifically with the two girls, Naoko and Midori. I wanted to pick this up, to read sooner because of all the hype around Murakami books and the popularity of his Norwegian Woods.

My first impression when I started reading was that the pace is really slow. As the story progressed, I was trying relate to the characters.  I am not sure whether I did not relate to it because it is set in a different age, era, country or if the dysfunctional characters made them unlikable for me including the two female leads. Despite the slow pace and the unlikeable female characters, the story managed to keep me engaged, I was definitely interested in the fate of these characters. I think that is just owing to the good storytelling. Also appreciate the sensitivity with which the subject of depression has been dealt. The description and the symbolism is so good that you can actually visualize the entire scene. 

The last word- I do not get the hype. I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped for. So for me its an average read.