Though I’ve read several books by Murakami, including his latest 1Q84, I’ve never read Norwegian Wood, written in 1987, the year before I was born.

This is because of the impossibility of finding a Chinese translation of the book in the United States.

And clearly, this is an excuse. I guess I was just being lazy about reading or developing symptoms of dyslexia.

Yesterday, after going through our to-watch list, Claudia and I decided to watch Norwegian Wood, the movie based on Murakami’s novel. As usual, she had to search the Chinese Wikipedia to check the plot of the movie first. However, I still can’t figure out why she does this all the time. Maybe she’s not comfortable with uncertainty in movies, as she’s not drawn to an adventurous life.

Please note that the following contains plot details which might spoil the movie.

The story is set in 1960s Japan and revolves around three young souls: Toru, Naoko, and Midori. The unbearable lightness of being falls upon Toru and Naoko after the suicide of Naoko’s boyfriend, Kizuki, who is also Toru’s friend. This life-changing event triggers something more than mere moroseness, which opens the story.

Contrary to the tragic beginning, sexuality is everywhere in the movie. However, its ubiquity invokes a deep analysis of sex. At first glance, Toru sleeps with Naoko after Kizuki’s death and with Naoko’s friend in the sanitarium after Naoko’s death, which are unacceptable according to social convention. But are these sexual activities trying to convey another layer of meaning besides the sex itself? Through their deconstruction, we see responsibility, love, and the meaning of being. Through sex, the story drives itself forward. Brutal but effective.

Lastly, some words on the movie’s name. “Norwegian Wood” is a song by The Beatles, first released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, written primarily by John Lennon. This song appears several times in the movie. And here is a soundtrack featuring an easy-listening voice of Runt with the lyrics below.

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me…
She showed me her room, isn’t it good, norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn’t a chair.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine.
We talked until two and then she said, “It’s time for bed”.
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn’t and crawled off to sleep in the bath.
And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown.
So I lit a fire, isn’t it good, norwegian wood.

Sweet, isn’t it?