Cheers mate.
Think my Mum's got most of them so hopefully I can borrow all the ones you mentioned from her. Much obliged, and I look forward to those reviews!
As promised, here is the first review. It does contain spoilers so look away if you want to read the book before the review but I think with Murakami spoilers are a bit redundant as it's so open to interpretation anyway!
Norwegian WoodThis is the novel that made Murakami a global writer and one that actually depressed him due to the unexpected interest and fame that came with it. It became popular with teenagers in Japan for its themes of isolation, love, sex and death in the same way that Catcher in the Rye, a novel Murakami was influenced by, attracted a large teenage following.
This was the first Murakami book I read and although I enjoyed my first read through immensely, I always feel you don't appreciate a novel as much by an author you are reading for the first time as you're getting to grips with their style. My second read through has taken me around a week and I definitely got much more out of it this time through.
It's fairly different to a lot of other novels that Murakami has written; there aren't any strange, supernatural occurrences. There's imagery and there's questions left unanswered but I think this is probably the only Murakami novel that leaves you completely fulfilled and satisfied. Works like 'Kafka On the Shore' and 'IQ84' have so many layers that you can never truly reach any reasonable conclusion.
At the centre of this novel is a confusing and tentative love triangle - the initial one between Toru (narrator) and his teenage friends Naoko and Kizuki in some ways. There is some sort of spiritual connection that binds the 3 together; although it is Naoko and Kizuki who are in a relationship, they don't seem complete without Toru. It is in fact Toru who Kizuki opens up to more. Naoko and Kizuki seem to share an entirely naturally sexual relationship but there is a feeling that they are strangers to one another at times. Kizuki ends up committing suicide despite seeming happy to Toru the last time he sees him. This is the hinge point of the novel - everything that comes after is the process of adjusting and coming to terms with life after this tragic, unexplained death (there is no suicide note.)
From this death springs something intense between Naoko and Toru who go for quiet walks and later and slowly reflect upon their friend and lover's death. They admit that they didn't interact that much during this time. There is an unspoken resentment from Naoko that suggests she is bitter about Kizuki not showing her the joyful and energetic side he often showed to Toru. Toru also learns that Naoko is a virgin but some irrevocable force draws them together and they share a night together - the only time Naoko is able to have sex in her life. I feel at this point that Toru is fulfilling a role for Naoko that Kizuki could never fill and although it is wonderful for Naoko on this evening, ultimately it serves as an overwhelming reminder of what could not be accomplished in her life with Kizuki - arguably drawing her into her depressive state and forcing her to seek refuge in a sort of microscopic society in a sanatorium.
The most interesting part of this novel for me is the limbo that Toru finds himself in due to Naoko's absence. He spends his days at University floating around meaninglessly. Nothing appears to interest him. He is silently grieving for the death of his best friend and for his recent lover and spends time sleeping with a variety of girls under the tutelage of the brilliant, chauvinistic sex hound Nagasawa. Murakami shows an excellent contrast in philosophy between Nagasawa, who is unsentimental and sees his life as an opportunity to take what he wants from a corrupt and broken world without regret , and Toru who is equally as frustrated with the world but tries to find some salvation in his commitment to Naoko and by treating people in the right way.
Another character that Murakami uses in a fascinating way is Midori, a fellow University student of Toru's who comes to love him and eventually he reciprocates these feelings. Midori is the opposite of Naoko; vivacious, sexual and abrasive but we find out during different parts of the novel that she has had a lot of hurt and pain in her life - she just copes with it in an entirely different way to Naoko.
This is the most painful dilemma for Toru as he comes to realise that he can dedicate his life to what is essentially a phantom woman living a shell of an existence in some remote part of Japan (Naoko) or he can start over with a vibrant, caring and sexual woman who is right there for him if he wants it (Midori). It is at this crossroads that the decision is effectively made for him when news comes that Naoko commits suicide as well. The following scenes in which Murakami conveys the utter devastation and collapse of Toru's world as he roams around various cities of Japan drinking cheap whisky and scrounging food while sleeping on beaches and roads are some of the most poignant bits of literature I've read.
Despite the heave atmosphere of loss and heart-break there is some sort of uplifting conclusion. Just as Naoko and Toru were able to fulfil the act of sexual passion that Kizuki could never provide, Toru gets some sort of closure by sleeping with Reiko, a patient and carer to Naoko in their sanatorium. This is almost some metaphorical act of healing whereby Toru can unleash his pent up feelings of desire and longing that have weighed him down since the death of his best friend. It is also through this act that Toru sees clearly that Midori is the one he must not lose now.
The novel closes with Midori, on the phone, asking Toru 'Where are you now?" To which Toru ponders the question deeply. It is still a Murakami ending with multiple questions to be answered but like I said, we feel there has been some genuine break through and Toru's demons have been put to rest.
