So this book is actually really depressing!

After reading this acclaimed Murakami novel again specifically for Asian Readathon month, I maintain my original rating. I enjoyed the worldly unfiltered air of this novel and the feeling of melancholy. Murakami has this masterful way of using abstract and poetic language.

Norwegian Wood explores loss, suicide, mental illness and alcohol abuse all with the same brush of enigmatic perversity so common to Murakami novels.

Watanabe's character was extremely dull and uninteresting except for the fact that he has his own harem of females who all, for some reason, want to give him handjobs. Also Midori and Nagasawa's characters were too wrapped up in enigma that ultimately made me dislike their characters, as with Hatsumi, I really didn't get Hatsumi..

Overall, this book was a disturbingly captivating novel (despite its snail like pace) about some really depressed teenagers, most of whom are all dealing with some form of loss or tragedy.