When I first arrived in the United Kingdom, I didn’t know what to expect of the programme I was completing. But as the MA programme progressed, I found myself in constant need of inspiration to keep my creative flow going. Whenever I could manage, I would take a small trip to a new city or area, discovering its hidden gems, but more importantly to me, making the necessary bookshop stop.
During one of my excursions to Oxford, I found myself in a charming little bookshop – Gulp Fiction. The place is memorable, as it’s located in Oxford’s covered market and has a small cafe as well. What I didn’t know was that it was a book paradise. My eyes soon began to scan the shelves for titles that stood out, and I found myself piling on books in my arms. Just as I was heading to the cash register, I spotted a wine-coloured cover with ‘MURAKAMI’ written at the top. I remembered a conversation with my best friend, who had told me about one of his books – Kafka on the Shore. I picked up the wine-coloured book, read the title, Norwegian Wood, and after reading the blub, added it to the pile of books I had spoiled myself with.
Huraki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, translated from the Japanese by Jay Rubin, is a moving fiction about a young man by the name of Toru Watanbe and his first love, Naoko. Through his memories, the novel navigates love, loss and the complexities of adulthood in 1960s Tokyo. Originally published in 1987, this book still resonates with a wide audience today as it explores themes of grief, mental health, sexuality and the search for meaning.
Watanabe, the protagonist, reflects on his memories entering university after losing his best friend, Kizuki, to suicide a few years earlier. The protagonist had maintained a good friendship with Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko, even after his death. Throughout the book, Naoko and Watanbe grow closer, and begin to unravel many truths about one another. In parallel, each of them has their separate lives at different universities. One night, after having spent some time drinking together, Watanbe and Naoko find themselves in a physical relationship. Soon after, Naoko disappears. It’s then that the book really begins. Everything before the moment Naoko leaves was just a build up.
With her departure comes a heavier emphasis on the theme of mental health. While it was touched on through Kizuki’s suicide, Naoko’s storyline is what really sheds light on this theme. It’s revealed later on that Naoko had gone home, and had then been sent to a wellness center somewhere in the woods. During her absence, Watanabe struggles with his own mental health and feelings of loneliness.
The protagonist makes new friends and has several new experiences, some sexual and others not. He also becomes friends with another female character, Midori, who is often portrayed as being odd. One day, Naoko invites him to visit her at the wellness center, and he goes. This is where Naoko’s mental health truth begins to unravel. The two, along with Naoko’s roommate, Reiko, spend an idyllic weekend together, a routine that’s repeated over several months, until Watanbe learns of Naoko’s suicide. His own mental health declines, and he becomes closed off.
At the end of the book, Watanbe reflects on all the people had met during his university days and after. He sees Reiko one last time, and the book ends with him making an ambiguous call to Midori, begging us to question his mental state.
While the book is not fast-paced or plot-driven, it slowly reveals itself as the reader becomes enticed throughout. The stories of Reiko, Midori and Naoko – even Watanabe’s story – continue to unravel leisurely, but throughout, the writing style and evocative atmosphere keep the reader hooked. A lot of factors make Murakami’s book a great one, but the one factor that is undeniable is its relevance, even today.
Although the novel is set in the ‘60s and was published in the ‘80s, Murakami’s commentary on mental health is impressive. He manages to portray every character’s struggles with everyday life, as well as with bigger problems such as depression and anxiety, in a way that de-stigmatizes the conversation around mental health. Decades later, and we are still amidst calls to raise awareness on the importance of mental health and proper management of it. Not only so, but Murakami does an excellent job on showing the impact of grief on people, and how people often project one face of themselves, while they are actually struggling internally. He also did the same when touching on the importance of human connection and friendships.
Young adults who read this, or even people in their twenties and thirties – like myself – may find a lot of themselves in these characters, sometimes overwhelmed with emotions that they are unable to process correctly, sometimes wanting a relationship, other times beating themselves up over a fling. Worried about grades, nervous about the future, dwelling on the past, overwhelmed with responsibilities. All of these feelings and thoughts are ones we have today, maybe even intensified with the weight of social media and changing social pressures. Today, young people also have to worry about “fitting in” certain trends, earning high salaries to cover high costs of rent and living, climate and political changes, all of which are additional worries.
At the end of the day, Norwegian Wood stresses an essential issue: the importance of seeking help for mental health issues. This was shown through different characters, but especially with Naoko’s plotline at the wellness center, and it remains a timeless message or takeaway that many people and generations to come can reflect on.
Words by Tala Ladki
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