Thomas Weber Post 2 - Finishing Norwegian Wood

     This book definitely marked. To be more specific, the atmosphere that it created through Murakami's natural surrealist style of description, the characters innate humanity, and the unabashed strangeness of each relationship created a comprehensive story that I felt encapsulated a person's coming of age very well. Murakami let his characters exist in harsh narratives without giving them excuses or pathways out that would seem easy. 

     The most interesting part of this novel, in my opinion, is Toru's relationship with death. Something that marks every major moment in the story. Whilst not explicitly said till towards the end of the book. There always existed this sort of detachment and distance that Toru seemed to create that wasn't just a part of his innate personality. But something formed by his relationship to Kizuki's death. Fundamentally, I think that this is what makes Toru so different from a character like Nagasawa. Toru isn't someone who exists without worries of others perception, instead existing within the framework of death within life. Constantly recognizing the impermanence of life, which often leads to "aloofness," and accepting his inability to control the world around him.

    Outside of the direct scope of the book, I greatly appreciate its very sensitive description of suicide and the complexities of keeping on living after having lost someone to themselves. Throughout the book, death and suicide seems to be presented as not only a moment of great sadness, often pausing the lives of those around them, but also as a transition. Throughout every death someone moves forward in some way. Whether in Midori moving from her parents bookstore to "live a fuller life" or Reiko moving form the sanitorium after Naoko died. This book emphasizes the beauty of death in its ability to present people with the impermanence of their own lives and breaking their "protective bubbles."

    I truly enjoyed reading this novel, even with all its strange sex descriptions and awkward moments, feeling its sincerity bleeding through every page.