Blog Post 2 - Alex DeRosa

 I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into Norwegian Wood. I knew that it was one of Murakami's most popular works, and that it was a little different from his other books, but that was pretty much it. While I really enjoy Murakami's writing style, I found it difficult to get through this book. 

I liked it a lot in the beginning. I thought the more grounded and realistic approach was nice (although I think I prefer his more surreal and weird work), and I liked how the characters still maintained that "Murakami weirdness" that is generally accepted by everyone in the story's universe. Despite the story's setting feeling very realistic, the characters act very strangely—almost like exaggerated caricatures—and yet, Toru seems to not question it too much. 

However, I think the weirdness relating to sex and women's bodies was a bit gratuitous. It was difficult to read some of these passages, not just because of the disturbing content but rather because of how much space they occupy in the book. I felt like every chapter there were long and graphic descriptions of sex that seemed to go on and on, and they distracted me from the characters and the philosophical themes the book was trying to touch on. I'm not opposed to sex in literature—I think if it's written well and used purposefully, it can be really effective in stories. But, with this book, I had a hard time seeing why it was so excessive. It seemed like some characters existed only to be described in a sexual way, which also didn't quite sit right with me. I found myself wanting more depth and development for Midori, Naoko, Reiko, and Hatsumi. I felt like I didn't really get to know or understand them well, and they felt kind of one-dimensional.

I understand what Murakami was going for with Norwegian Wood, especially regarding the themes of life, death, and coming of age. I wish that more of the descriptions had been dedicated to exploring these themes further or adding depth to other characters. I understand why Murakami is often criticized for the way he writes women—I didn't really see it after WSC, but I definitely see it now. I still enjoy his style a lot, but I couldn't get into this book nearly as much as WSC.