Haruki Murakami “Norwegian Wood” 11/15/16

November 15, 2016

I have read this book at least 5 times by now. Each time I cry at the same places, one is the cucumber scene when Watanabe at Midori’s father’s death bed. It is very quiet, tender, gentle, and beautiful scene. Murakami is known to be a sort of Japanese-American style writer, but he is really Japanese. (I have not read his novels in English yet.) This book was written 30 years ago, and it is still very fresh. This book makes me homesick. I know it is better this way, to feel homesick rather than being in Japan. My teenager era, when I struggled so much with my identity (music was always with me), I strolled around Shinjuku so much. I had a favorite Rock bar to hang around where I was exposed to Rock music and Progressive Rock music besides Beethoven and Chopin. This book is my time machine. I am sure I will read it again and again.