"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking." - Nagasawa
A friend asked me to help bring some books back to Singapore last month, one of which is Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Since there was some time between me laying my hands on it and the time I got back home, I grabbed the chance to read this book since I saw that it's one of the bestsellers at Waterstones.
Norwegian Wood is a song by the Beatles, and the favourite song of one of the characters Naoko. It's a love story set in Tokyo in the 60s, and the main character is Toru Watanabe, a uni student who did not want to conform to the typical society (at least in his uni), and was much a loner but didn't mind so. He falls in love with Naoko, and later Midori. But much more than a love story, it tells a story of life and fragility of it.
Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life."
I'm not sure if I could do it justice by writing a book review on it, but reading it, you sure feel transported to Tokyo in the 60s. His vivid description of places, people and things and the way he writes the feelings of the main characters - all which makes it a good book to me. That aside, I have to say this book gave me an "arty feel" at times- this I cannot explain well. But it sure did make me ponder over conformation in society, life in general, love and the lack of it, albeit slightly biased towards the negative and depressive sense of it all. For after all, the story is told in the first person narrative, Toru, who is a confused loner, searching for the meaning of life and love, and on the verge of depression to me. Marukami managed to bring three characters with their own life baggage and stories, confused and all, and brings their paths together and weaves it into a good book because you are able to identify your life in parts of it.
Perhaps with all these above combined, that is my definition of an "arty book".
"Just remember, life is a box of cookies"
I shook my head a few times and looked at her. "Maybe I'm not so smart, but sometimes I don't know what on earth you're talking about."
"You know, they've got these cookie assortments, and you like some but you don't like others? And you eat all the ones you like,and the only ones left are the ones you don't like as much? I always think about that when something painful comes up. 'Now I just have to polish these off, and everything'll be OK.' Life is a box of cookies."
"I suppose you could call it a philosophy."
"It's true, though. I've learned it from experience."
This book published in 1987 was made so popular in Japan that it almost garnered a cult following much to the dismay of the author. He wanted to remain a humble and unknown writer perhaps- he had to flee Japan can you believe it. It was translated twice into English and the version I read was the second translation.
Best of all, a movie adaptation of this book is coming right up! And Toru is played by the same guy who played "L" in Death Note. Hehe I think it's a good choice and I will definitely be watching it here when it opens in March :) can't wait!
"Being able to say you don't have any money [is the best thing about being rich]. Like, if I suggested to a classmate we should do something, she could say, 'Sorry, I don't have any money.' Which is something I could never say if the situation was reversed. If I said 'I don't have any money,' it would really mean 'I don't have any money.' It's sad. Like if a pretty girl says 'I look terrible today, I don't want to go out,' that's O.K., but if an ugly girl says the same thing people laugh at her."
A friend asked me to help bring some books back to Singapore last month, one of which is Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Since there was some time between me laying my hands on it and the time I got back home, I grabbed the chance to read this book since I saw that it's one of the bestsellers at Waterstones.
Norwegian Wood is a song by the Beatles, and the favourite song of one of the characters Naoko. It's a love story set in Tokyo in the 60s, and the main character is Toru Watanabe, a uni student who did not want to conform to the typical society (at least in his uni), and was much a loner but didn't mind so. He falls in love with Naoko, and later Midori. But much more than a love story, it tells a story of life and fragility of it.Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life."
- Toru
I'm not sure if I could do it justice by writing a book review on it, but reading it, you sure feel transported to Tokyo in the 60s. His vivid description of places, people and things and the way he writes the feelings of the main characters - all which makes it a good book to me. That aside, I have to say this book gave me an "arty feel" at times- this I cannot explain well. But it sure did make me ponder over conformation in society, life in general, love and the lack of it, albeit slightly biased towards the negative and depressive sense of it all. For after all, the story is told in the first person narrative, Toru, who is a confused loner, searching for the meaning of life and love, and on the verge of depression to me. Marukami managed to bring three characters with their own life baggage and stories, confused and all, and brings their paths together and weaves it into a good book because you are able to identify your life in parts of it.
Perhaps with all these above combined, that is my definition of an "arty book".
"Just remember, life is a box of cookies"
I shook my head a few times and looked at her. "Maybe I'm not so smart, but sometimes I don't know what on earth you're talking about."
"You know, they've got these cookie assortments, and you like some but you don't like others? And you eat all the ones you like,and the only ones left are the ones you don't like as much? I always think about that when something painful comes up. 'Now I just have to polish these off, and everything'll be OK.' Life is a box of cookies."
"I suppose you could call it a philosophy."
"It's true, though. I've learned it from experience."
Dialogue between Midori Kobayashi and Toru Watanabe
This book published in 1987 was made so popular in Japan that it almost garnered a cult following much to the dismay of the author. He wanted to remain a humble and unknown writer perhaps- he had to flee Japan can you believe it. It was translated twice into English and the version I read was the second translation.
Best of all, a movie adaptation of this book is coming right up! And Toru is played by the same guy who played "L" in Death Note. Hehe I think it's a good choice and I will definitely be watching it here when it opens in March :) can't wait!
"Being able to say you don't have any money [is the best thing about being rich]. Like, if I suggested to a classmate we should do something, she could say, 'Sorry, I don't have any money.' Which is something I could never say if the situation was reversed. If I said 'I don't have any money,' it would really mean 'I don't have any money.' It's sad. Like if a pretty girl says 'I look terrible today, I don't want to go out,' that's O.K., but if an ugly girl says the same thing people laugh at her."
- Midori Kobayashi
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