Lightly Toasted

The place is Tokyo, Japan — the land of the rising Sun. The era: 1960s, a time during which a lot of Japanese students protested established order. Japan was going through a change, resistance, aftermath of the horrifying nuclear holocaust. Toru Watanabe, the narrator who is often called Watanabe by his peers has a strong voice and is a very likeable character despite his highs and lows and his scholastic mediocrity. I particularly like his interest in American literature given Japans past with the US in that timeframe.

This book captures some really subtle moments and draws a few parallels with David Gulterson’s compeiling Snow Falling on Cedars. Norwegian Wood however, is more about the inner journey of the narrator. Its filled with scores of momentous emotions: some subtle and some extremely vivid in every sense of the word. The youths detailed romantic escapades, so delicately woven into the skeleton of the book will have you enamored and make you feel the wind in your face as you absorb yourself into the mood of the young lovers walking hand in hand… The writing is very lucid and vivacious all those courtship moments are so tender and fragile its enchanting! Thanks HP for the lend of this remarkable book.

Naoko stopped in her tracks. I stopped as well. Putting both her hands on my shoulders she peered straight into my eyes Far back, in the depths of her pupils, some thick, pitch black fluid was charting strange whorled patterns, such were the pair of beautiful eyes that peered on and on into mine. Then she stretched up and lightly pressed her cheek into mine. With that one little gesture, a heart stopping instant of wonderful warmth shot through me.

Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is quite the collectors item, not just something you flip through and pass it on! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Part 1 and re-read some parts that struck me as unique manifestation of the authors outpour. Needless to say Jay Rubin has done a tremendous job at translating the original Japanese writing into English!