Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood is narrated by Toru Watanabe, a university student in 1960s Tokyo who befriends two extremely different young women: delicate, troubled Naoko and vivacious, fascinating Midori. Naoko, haunted by the suicide of her boyfriend and struggling with her own debilitating depression, soon leaves Tokyo for an idyllic retreat in the mountains.
Quote:
"Thinking back on the year 1969, all that comes to mind for me is a swamp — a deep, sticky bog that feels as if it's going to suck my shoe off every time I take a step. I walk through the mud, exhausted. In front of me, behind me, I can see nothing but an endless swampy darkness."
Author:
Haruki Murikami is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and IQ84, several short story collections, and non-fiction including What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.
Published: 1987
Length: 291 pages
Set in: Japan
Translated by: Jay Rubin