Norwegian wood. Tokyo blues

Toru, a young man haunted by the loss of his best friend Kizuki, finds himself studying in Tokyo during the student revolts in the 60's. Through a chance encounter, he is reunited with Naoko, Kizukis ex girlfriend, who is struggling to adjust to daily life as a university student herself. Connected by their mutual grief and their ability to understand each other, a romantic friendship blossoms between the two. After a certain incident, however, Naoko and Torus only form of communicaion are letters, which Toru writes committedly. But as Naoko grows more distant, he gets involved with a young, open minded young woman... This heartfelt, honest coming of age story manages to perfectly depict the challenging journey of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood while having to deal with the trauma of losing a loved one. Topics such as depression, suicide, love and lust and the close knittedness of life and death are carefully woven into daily activities and the simplicity of existence itself. The reader gets to know each character throught the observant eyes of our protagonist Toru, who keeps a comfortable distance to people around himand yet we are able to understand the minds of the characters by Torus way of percieving them. The complexity of human emotion and the different ways of dealing with trauma keep the reader engaged with every story told by the people Toru encounters and at the same time we experience Torus growth along the seasons of his turbulent path into adulthood. A very touching story that reminds you of the fragility of the human soul with every single sentence and holds you captive and even long after finishing it. If you're looking to ease yourself into Murakamis work, this novel is the perfect starter!