Norwegian Wood

“I was thirty-seven then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport. Cold November rains drenched the earth and lent everything the gloomy air of a Flemish landscape: the ground crew in waterproofs, a flag atop a squat airport building, a BMW billboard. So—Germany again.”

Part One

The novel begins with Toru Watanabe, now 37, hearing “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles, which triggers memories of his youth in Tokyo. The story shifts to 1969, when Watanabe is a college student grieving the suicide of his best friend, Kizuki, years earlier. He reconnects with Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko, who is emotionally fragile. They grow close, but Naoko’s mental health deteriorates, and she enters a secluded sanatorium in the mountains.

Part Two

Watanabe visits Naoko at the sanatorium, where he meets her roommate, Reiko, an older woman recovering from her own trauma. Naoko seems to improve, but her instability persists. Meanwhile, Watanabe befriends Midori, a lively, outspoken classmate who contrasts sharply with Naoko. Midori openly expresses her attraction to Watanabe, complicating his feelings.

Part Three

Watanabe struggles with his loyalty to Naoko and his growing feelings for Midori. Naoko’s condition worsens, and she commits suicide, devastating Watanabe. Reiko visits Tokyo and encourages Watanabe to move on. After a night of emotional confession and intimacy with Reiko, Watanabe finally reaches out to Midori, uncertain but hopeful about the future.

Key Ideas

• The weight of grief and the struggle to move forward after loss.
• The contrast between idealized love and messy, real-world relationships.
• The fragility of mental health and societal pressures in young adulthood.
• Music and memory as triggers for deep emotional reflection.
• The tension between societal expectations and personal desires.

Notable Adaptations