Feeling a bit tired of reading business, self-help and technology stuff, I decided to pick up one of my favorite novels: Norwegian Wood. Among Haruki Murakami’s works, it’s up there as one of the best in my opinion.
Apart from the beautiful writing, the male protagonist, Toru, displayed an admirable level of nonchalance, indifference to impress too many and a loyalty to those whom he cares about. There is also a brutal honesty from him. An example is when he admitted telling his close friend’s girlfriend to leave the guy. I admire those values from him.
I won’t spoil too much, but Norwegian Wood is a beautiful story about love, lust and the loss of innocence. It may not carry a cheerful vibe, but I found the ending positive. It’s my 3rd time reading it and the satisfaction is as much as the other previous times, if not more.
Some favorite quotes:
“What happens when people open their hearts?”
“They get better.”
“Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Only assholes do that.”
“Letters are just pieces of paper,” I said. “Burn them, and what stays in your heart will stay; keep them, and what vanishes will vanish.”
“No truth can cure the sorrow we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness can cure that sorrow. All we can do is see it through to the end and learn something from it, but what we learn will be no help in facing the next sorrow that comes to us without warning.”
Minh Quang Duong 