Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is no stranger to appreciation. The author is known for heartbreaking stories with open endings. Norwegian Wood is a story about adulthood, loneliness, agony, love, and the complexity of relationships. This post dives into Haruki Murakami’s all-time masterpiece and presents a book summary. We’ll dive into the themes, story, characters, and relationships throughout Norwegian Wood. Here’s the Norwegian Wood Summary & Analysis.
Quick View
- The book revolves around themes of youth, loss, death, grief, coming of age, love, isolation, mental health, and alienation.
- The age rating of the book is 18+ due to sexual content, character death, and mental illness.
- There are 386 pages in the book.
- The book has an open ending.
- The main character is Toru Watanabe with other characters like Kizuki, Naoko, Midori, Reiko, Nagasawa, etc.
Norwegian Wood Characters Analysis
Toru
Kizuki
Midori
Naoko
Reiko
The protagonist Toru is the definition of unbothered. He is a fan of literature, especially ‘The Great Gatsby’. He is an introverted and reserved person. He is very self-introspective and often broods about life. He is just starting his college life, with zero friends. He often struggles with the complexity of relationships, we see him navigating his relationship with Naoko as well as Midori.
He is the type of person who genuinely doesn’t care about others’ opinions. Although when he loves someone, he is determined to stick and also suffers because of relationships. He only ever had one friend in school; Kizuki. But when Kizuki died, he lost a part of himself that he could never recover.
Toru’s one and only friend Kizuki was a well-liked and charming fellow. He compensated for the lack of Toru’s introverted nature. He hid his inner darkness well behind his ‘Sunshine’ façade. Kizuki’s girlfriend was Naoko, they had been together since they were kids. Often Toru, Kizuki, and Naoko hung out together. Unfortunately, no one knew his inner turmoil until he took his own life.
Midori Kobayashi is yet another fascinating character in the book. She is a fellow college student and also a love interest of Toru. She is a quirky girl with a nick for cooking. She is the portrayal of wild and free. She is witty, lively, outspoken, and independent, and challenges societal norms. Also, she manages to remain lively even though she has lost her mother, her father is in the hospital, she has to runs a bookshop on her own, and manage her life. She plays a significant role in Toru’s life and self-discovery.
Naoko is portrayed as a fragile, delicate, gentle, and introspective girl. She is Toru’s, first love. Toru and Naoko share a common sense of grief after her boyfriend Kizuki’s death. Naoko was so deeply damaged by Kizuki’s death that it changed her forever. She was a key figure in Toru’s life as we see them navigate their complex relationship. Naoko always carries grief and agony within her.
Overall she is a complex character and a victim of faith. Although she does wish to change and get better for Toru her inner demons always get the best of her. She depicts how much a loved one’s death can affect a human’s psyche. She eventually goes to a sanatorium for treatment.
Reiko Ishida is yet another interesting side character with an equally interesting and haunting past. She’s a woman in her 30s. She used to be a pianist until an unexpected disability ruined her career. But yet she picked herself up and eventually got over it.
She married a man she loved and nurtured a daughter but that too went south. Now Reiko lives with Naoko in the sanatorium. She is a key figure in Naoko’s life as she helps Naoko heal. She is a fun character and teaches us how one must embrace their imperfection and move on with life.
Norwegian Wood Summary
Short Summary
Full Summary
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami follows the narrative of Toru Watanabe. He is a quiet and laid-back person who never really had many friends. Kizuki was his only companion, but after his tragic death, Toru was shaken. He made it through school and went to college.
His college life was decent and uneventful, with a few acquaintances. During his college days, he stumbles upon Naoko, Kizuki’s girlfriend. Toru, Kizuki, and Naoko often hung out together in old times. Toru and Naoko bond over their shared loss of Kizuki. They start spending more and more time together. Toru develops feelings for her, but Naoko is a way more complex individual. He falls hard for the delicate-looking girl, unaware of her deep-seethed trauma. One night, Toru and Naoko make a drunken mistake. Naoko vanishes into thin air. Toru, on the other hand, is heartbroken, but life goes on.
He meets some interesting people in the meantime. He meets a strangely fascinating girl, Midori. They become good friends. Toru continues with his life.
After some time, Toru hears about Naoko, who is taking therapy at a sanatorium. They get back in touch. Toru is assured Naoko will get well, and they’ll get back together. He is unaware of Naoko’s deteriorating mental state. Will Naoko make it? Did she ever love Toru? A beautiful story about human relationships, trauma, loss, and love.
The story starts with Toru, who is panicking because his memories of Naoko are fading away. He is contemplating the innocent and sweet-looking girl he loved—his first ever love. We are then thrown back to Toru’s college days. When he was navigating his new life in college, his usual uneventful life consisted of going to class, dealing with Strom Tropper, and occasionally going out with Nagasawa, until he randomly stumbled upon Naoko one day.
They bond over their shared loss of Kizuki and start to hang out together. Naoko becomes Toru’s companion on boring weekends. They wander around the streets of Tokyo aimlessly and relentlessly, but happily. Toru falls hard for Naoko. Their bond deepens over time.
However, things go south on Naoko’s birthday as she gets intimate with Toru in a drunken state. She is swarmed by immense guilt.
The next day, she flees without telling Toru, which leaves him heartbroken and gloomy. He tries to reach out to her, but nothing works. He decides to just leave it to fate and continue his life. That’s when he meets Midori; they hit instantly.
Gradually, they become good friends and start hanging out more and more. Toru even takes care of Midori’s hospitalized father. Meanwhile, he also gets information about Naoko, who is currently getting treatment in a sanatorium. Toru visits her a few times and even becomes good friends with Reiko.
He starts rebuilding his relationship, but just when he thought life was getting better, he is informed of Naoko’s death. Reiko tells him that, due to Naoko’s deteriorating condition, she was shifted to a proper hospital. After some time, she returned to the sanatorium to take her things back and spend the day with Reiko. Reiko noticed that Naoko was suddenly all happy, goofy, and smiley.
Taking that as a sign of healing, Reiko didn’t question it. Later at night, Reiko finds Naoko missing. The next morning, Naoko is found dead; she hangs herself in the forest. Naoko’s death causes Toru immense grief.
He is shaken and pain-ridden, almost in a depressing state, and he packs up his bag to wander around, too shaken to stay in the town.
After months of wandering and living on the street, he returns and meets Reiko. Reiko and Toru hang out and reminisce. They even get intimate together. The sole reason for them getting intimate would be their shared grief over Naoko’s death. Just like the intimacy between Toru and Naoko over Kizuki’s death.
During his wandering around, Toru removed Midori from the picture because of his grief, although when he realizes his mistake, he calls her. In the final scene, we see Toru trying to make up with Midori after his indifferent attitude toward her after Naoko’s death.
Norwegian Wood Quotes
Norwegian Wood Review
According to me, Norwegian Wood is a great book for young adults as they will be able to resonate with many circumstances. The elements of grief, anguish, and fragility are explained in wondrous ways. Murakami’s ability to showcase the complexity of human nature is astonishing. What totally surprised me is the book’s ability to keep me hooked. The book doesn’t have a complex story or a thrilling plot yet it was able to keep me hooked. It’s a very humane story with real-life problems and relatable characters.
What I loved about the book?
- The writing style: beautifully descriptive and poetic.
- The complex characters with relatable problems.
- The simple yet interesting plot.
- The book’s notion of normalizing making mistakes as a teenager or young adult.
What I didn’t like about the book?
- The open ending felt too abrupt. There could have been closure to Toru’s and Midori’s relationship.
- Toru and Reiko’s final intimacy scene seemed too unplanned and out of place.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Spoilers Ahead!!
Q1. How did Kizuki die in Norwegian Wood?
Ans. Kizuki dies in Norwegian Wood by committing suicide.
Q2. How did Naoko die in Norwegian Wood?
Ans. Naoko dies in Norwegian Wood by committing suicide. She hangs herself in the forest of the sanatorium.
Q3. Why did Watanabe sleep with Reiko?
Ans. The reason behind Watanabe sleeping with Reiko is multi-dimensional. Their shared grief over Naoko’s death and the need to find solace can be one reason. Toru’s desire to feel and have Naoko even if for a part of her, can be another reason. Their bond represents the complexity of human nature and emotions.
Q4. Does Toru end up with Midori?
Ans. Yes, before Naoko’s death, Toru mentions his want to be with Midori to Reiko in a letter. In the end, Toru also goes to call Midori and makeup with her.
Q5. Did Naoko not love Toru?
Ans. No, Naoko did not love Toru. She was too grief-ridden to love him. Her and Kizuki’s relationship started when they were kids, hence their bond was too deep. She only truly loved Kizuki. Although she did care about Toru but her mental dilemma made it much more complex.
Q6. What is the main message in Norwegian Wood ?
Ans. The main message in Norwegian Wood is about moving on and living life even after adversities. The book explores the complexity and fragility of human nature and its mechanism of coping with the loss of loved ones.
Q7. Did Watanabe die in Norwegian Wood?
Ans. No, Watanabe does not die in Norwegian Wood.
Q8. Norwegian Wood why did Kizuki kill himself?
Ans. The specific reason for Kizuki’s suicide is not mentioned. Kizuki’s death might have been because of an emotional and existential crisis.
Q9. Does Norwegian Wood have a happy ending?
Ans. Norwegian Wood has a bittersweet open ending. Naoko’s death causes anguish but it signified the ending of a chapter and Toru’s new beginning.
Q10. Is Norwegian wood LGBTQ?
Ans. Yes, Norwegian Wood is an LGBTQ book as it mentions Lesbian and Bisexual characters.
Q11. How many pages does Norwegian Wood have?
Ans. Norwegian Wood has 386 pages.
Read more about Haruki Murakami.
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