The best entry point to Murakami and one of the most memorable novels about young grief.
Best For
First-time Murakami readers and anyone drawn to melancholic coming-of-age stories.
Skip If
You want plot or surrealism (this is his most grounded book).
Tone
Melancholic, restrained, intimate
Pace
Steady
Commitment
Short (296 pages)
Toru Watanabe, a Tokyo college student in the late 1960s, is drawn into a love triangle between Naoko, the fragile former girlfriend of his dead best friend, and Midori, a vivid and unconventional classmate. Norwegian Wood is Haruki Murakami’s most realist novel, a story of grief, depression, and the strange weight of being young, told with the quiet melancholy that became his trademark.
What Works
The atmosphere is unmatched. Murakami treats depression and loss with rare honesty for fiction of its era.
What May Not Work
Murakami fans expecting his surreal mode will find this almost startlingly grounded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I read Norwegian Wood?
The best entry point to Murakami and one of the most memorable novels about young grief.
How many pages is Norwegian Wood?
Norwegian Wood is 296 pages long.
What genre is Norwegian Wood?
Norwegian Wood falls under Contemporary, Literary Fiction.
Who should read Norwegian Wood?
First-time Murakami readers and anyone drawn to melancholic coming-of-age stories.