The Bird Has Flown … but has it?
A review of ‘Norwegian Wood’ by Haruki Murakami
“ Cold November rains drenched the Earth ………”, begins Murakami in his book.
If I were to describe “Norwegian Wood” written by Haruki Murakami as a month, I would pick November. It gives you a glimpse of traitorous hope that maybe it is still not too late to change the year around. But the inertia of the preceding 303 days is difficult to take away. The sentience of the name itself can take you down the pathway of nostalgia as it does for Toru Watanabe, a 37-year-old man living in Tokyo who is pushed into a shudder of the memories of his youth so colored with love, loss, and tragedy.
Told through the veil of two women without which his story would lack completion or moreover Toru himself would lack completion, the characters of Naoko and Midori are elemental. Naoko (Toru’s first love) and Toru share a deep emotional connection over the tragic death of Kizuki, Toru’s best friend and Naoko’s boyfriend. Their bond, often portrayed in the book as one treading over the silence of the chasm of grief experienced by Naoko, explores Murakami’s exceptional narrative abilities. The character of Midori, another woman Toru encountered in his twenties is in sharp contrast with Naoko’s introspective nature. If Naoko was the pelagic waters at dusk, Midori was the turbulent, sun-kissed waves at noon. Both these women, forever transformed Toru not only because of his recurrent feelings for them but also due to the introspective path of sexuality, intimacy, and youth they led him on.
The book, named after Naoko’s favorite song, “Norwegian Wood( The Bird Has Flown )” by Beatles is a testament to how important she is in the story. Emotionally fragile, she often retreats to a sanatorium to seek treatment leaving Toru with a feeling of helplessness. Through their story, the book depicts how a single event or loss can forever change the trajectory of your life and the lives of the people surrounding you. Ironically, for Naoko, the bird of grief didn’t fly away quickly. In fact, it didn’t fly away at all.
To conclude, the brilliance of the book lies in its ability to strike a chord. It rummages not only through the experiences of the world but also how it is personalized to each human. The outstanding narration, the well-planned plot, and the depth to which Murakami has taken his characters, truly make it a marvel to read.
