Thoughts & reactions on "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami
Noruwei no mori (Norwegian Wood), by Haruki Murakami (originally Japanese; I read it in Norwegian). "The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality." (Wikipedia)
I finished the book today, on the train to my home town. And wow. That's all I can say.
I didn't pay much attention while reading the book. I haven't read any books in years (I used to devour books, but something made me stop), so I was basically trying to get into the whole reading thing again by plowing through a couple of books. The first book I plowed through was a very light read and it went great; it nearly rekindled my joy for reading, so I tried applying the same technique to reading this book (because I found it difficult to motivate myself to pick it up). I bought it a couple of years ago, but never came around to reading it. This autumn, I read about half of it in two days, then didn't open it for about two months - and I finished the last hundred pages on the train ride today. As I said, I didn't pay much attention while reading and so I never really cared too much about the book - which made the ending sneak up on me and hit me with all the more force.
The whole book gently nestles you into beautifully worded sceneries and deep conversations and wise thoughts about life and everyone's significance & insignificance. I truly regret not paying full attention while reading! It has been so long since I last finished a book that I didn't notice all the signs of just how beautiful and massive experience this book would be & was, before I came to the last forty pages.
It has sort of left me with a sense of «life's what happens when you're busy making other plans». Now, in the aftermath, I feel clear-headed for the first time in quite a while - I mean, I am less stressed about my future, less confused and less panicked - «oh, that's the way it is» and «of course, this is what life is about, it's so simple!». I feel so uplifted after reading it, but also, the ending - paired with pulling into the train station of my hometown - gave me such a shock of nostalgia and wonder that I'm finding it difficult to converse with my family.
Or, I could still be a bit stoned from this morning, I don't know.
Recommended!
I finished the book today, on the train to my home town. And wow. That's all I can say.
I didn't pay much attention while reading the book. I haven't read any books in years (I used to devour books, but something made me stop), so I was basically trying to get into the whole reading thing again by plowing through a couple of books. The first book I plowed through was a very light read and it went great; it nearly rekindled my joy for reading, so I tried applying the same technique to reading this book (because I found it difficult to motivate myself to pick it up). I bought it a couple of years ago, but never came around to reading it. This autumn, I read about half of it in two days, then didn't open it for about two months - and I finished the last hundred pages on the train ride today. As I said, I didn't pay much attention while reading and so I never really cared too much about the book - which made the ending sneak up on me and hit me with all the more force.
The whole book gently nestles you into beautifully worded sceneries and deep conversations and wise thoughts about life and everyone's significance & insignificance. I truly regret not paying full attention while reading! It has been so long since I last finished a book that I didn't notice all the signs of just how beautiful and massive experience this book would be & was, before I came to the last forty pages.
It has sort of left me with a sense of «life's what happens when you're busy making other plans». Now, in the aftermath, I feel clear-headed for the first time in quite a while - I mean, I am less stressed about my future, less confused and less panicked - «oh, that's the way it is» and «of course, this is what life is about, it's so simple!». I feel so uplifted after reading it, but also, the ending - paired with pulling into the train station of my hometown - gave me such a shock of nostalgia and wonder that I'm finding it difficult to converse with my family.
Or, I could still be a bit stoned from this morning, I don't know.
Recommended!