Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami #BookReview - The Books of Ours

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Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Identitas Buku
Penulis: Haruki Murakami
Penerjemah: translated from Japanese by Jay Rubin
Penerbit: Vintage Internasional
Cover design: John Gall

Fakta Menarik
Begitu terbit pada tahun 1987, buku ini meledak di pasaran dan menjadi fenomena besar di kalangan anak muda Jepang. Kepopuleran ini justru membuat Murakami merasa tidak nyaman hingga ia sempat memutuskan pindah ke Eropa untuk menghindari sorotan media. 

Mari kita ulas!

Norwegian Wood – mengikuti kisah Toru Watanabe, seorang pria berusia 37 tahun yang kembali teringat pada masa mudanya setelah mendengar lagu “Norwegian Wood” milik The Beatles. Ingatan tersebut membawanya kembali ke masa ketika ia menjadi mahasiswa di Tokyo, terutama pada periode ketika ia masih bergulat dengan kehilangan sahabat dekatnya, Kizuki, yang meninggal karena bunuh diri.

Kehilangan Kizuki menjadi titik yang menghubungkan Toru dengan Naoko, kekasih Kizuki yang juga harus menghadapi duka mendalam. Keduanya sama-sama membawa luka dari masa lalu, sehingga hubungan mereka berkembang dalam suasana yang penuh kesunyian dan ketidakpastian. Di tengah hubungan tersebut, Toru juga semakin dekat dengan Midori, teman sekelasnya dalam beberapa mata kuliah. Berbeda dengan Naoko yang cenderung pendiam dan rapuh, Midori tampil sebagai sosok yang ceria, terbuka, spontan, dan penuh semangat hidup.

Melalui Toru Watanabe, Murakami menggambarkan berbagai sisi kehidupan anak muda yang sedang berusaha memahami dirinya sendiri. Kesepian, grief, depresi, kehilangan, dan pencarian jati diri menjadi tema yang terus hadir sepanjang cerita. Toru seolah berada di antara dua dunia: hubungan dengan Naoko yang dipenuhi kenangan dan luka masa lalu, serta kedekatannya dengan Midori yang menawarkan kehidupan yang lebih hangat dan penuh kemungkinan.

Kekuatan novel ini terletak pada cara Murakami menggambarkan emosi dan kesepian para tokohnya secara intim. Karakter-karakternya tidak digambarkan sebagai sosok yang sempurna, melainkan sebagai manusia yang rapuh, bingung, dan berusaha menemukan arah di tengah berbagai kehilangan. Gaya penulisan Murakami yang tenang, reflektif, dan melankolis membuat perjalanan emosional Toru terasa semakin kuat.

Namun, Norwegian Wood bukan bacaan yang ringan. Novel ini memuat tema bunuh diri, depresi, kematian, serta beberapa adegan yang cukup eksplisit. Karena itu, calon pembaca sebaiknya mempertimbangkan content warning tersebut sebelum membaca.

Opiniku
Aku suka banget dengan atmosfer yang dibangun Murakami dalam Norwegian Wood. Latar ceritanya terasa gloomy, misty, dan melankolis, yang entah kenapa terasa sangat cocok dibaca saat rainy season. Membaca novel ini sambil mendengar suara hujan dan udara yang lembap justru membuat suasananya terasa semakin pas, agak sedih, sepi, tetapi juga nyaman dengan caranya sendiri. Hahaha.

Hal lain yang aku suka adalah bagaimana Murakami menjabarkan perasaan dan kesedihan Toru dengan sangat detail. Pembaca seperti benar-benar dilibatkan ke dalam pikirannya, bukan hanya diberi tahu bahwa Toru sedang sedih atau kesepian, tetapi diajak memahami bagaimana perasaan tersebut memengaruhi cara Toru melihat orang-orang dan kehidupannya. Detail emosional ini membuat ceritanya terasa realistis sekaligus semakin gloomy.

Dan tentu saja, Toru Watanabe menjadi salah satu bagian yang paling menarik buatku. Toru adalah karakter yang baik, observatif, dan terasa sangat manusiawi. Ada sesuatu dalam cara dia menghadapi kehilangan, hubungan, dan kesepian yang membuatnya mudah untuk disukai. Menariknya, bukan hanya karakter-karakter di dalam novel yang bisa jatuh hati kepadanya, sebagai pembaca pun aku merasa cukup mudah untuk ikut falling for Toru.

Rating dariku
5/5 ⭐

English Version

Fun Fact
When Norwegian Wood was published in 1987, it became an instant bestseller and a major cultural phenomenon among young people in Japan. Its overwhelming popularity actually made Murakami uncomfortable with the intense media attention. He eventually chose to move to Europe for a period of time to distance himself from the spotlight.

Here comes the review!
Norwegian Wood follows Toru Watanabe, a 37-year-old man who is suddenly transported back to his youth after hearing The Beatles’ song “Norwegian Wood.” The song brings back memories of his university years in Tokyo, particularly the period when he was struggling with the loss of his close friend, Kizuki, who died by suicide.

Kizuki’s death becomes the connection between Toru and Naoko, Kizuki’s former girlfriend, who is also deeply affected by his death. Both of them carry the weight of their shared grief, causing their relationship to develop within an atmosphere of loneliness, uncertainty, and emotional vulnerability.

Meanwhile, Toru grows closer to Midori, a classmate he meets in several university courses. Unlike Naoko, who is quiet, fragile, and emotionally troubled, Midori is cheerful, outspoken, spontaneous, and full of life.

Through Toru Watanabe, Murakami explores the complicated experiences of young people who are trying to understand themselves and find their place in the world. Loneliness, grief, depression, loss, and the search for identity are central themes throughout the novel. Toru seems caught between two different worlds: his relationship with Naoko, which is deeply connected to memories and wounds from the past, and his growing connection with Midori, who represents warmth, vitality, and the possibility of a different future.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is the way Murakami portrays his characters’ emotions and loneliness with such intimacy. They are not presented as perfect people, but as vulnerable and confused individuals trying to find their way through life while carrying their own losses. Murakami’s calm, reflective, and melancholic writing style makes Toru’s emotional journey feel even more powerful.

However, Norwegian Wood is not a light read. The novel deals with suicide, depression, death, and several sexually explicit scenes. Therefore, potential readers may want to consider these content warnings before picking up the book.

My Opinion
I absolutely love the atmosphere Murakami creates in Norwegian Wood. The setting feels gloomy, misty, and deeply melancholic, which somehow makes it the perfect book to read during the rainy season. Reading it while listening to the rain and feeling the humid air made the whole experience feel even more fitting—sad, lonely, and yet strangely comforting in its own way. Hahaha.

Another thing I really appreciate is how deeply Murakami explores Toru’s emotions and grief. Readers are not simply told that Toru is sad or lonely; we are brought into his thoughts and made to understand how those feelings shape the way he sees other people and the world around him. The emotional details make the story feel incredibly real and intimate, while also making its gloomy atmosphere even stronger.

And, of course, Toru Watanabe is one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me. He is kind, observant, and deeply human. There is something about the way he deals with loss, relationships, and loneliness that makes him incredibly easy to like.

What I find especially amusing is that it is not only the characters in the novel who can fall for Toru. As a reader, I found myself falling for Toru too. There is just something about him that makes it surprisingly easy to become attached to his character.

My Rating
5/5 ⭐