Tuesday 17 January 2012

Norwegian Wood, Chapters 5-6

Well, these were the depressingest chapters that ever depressed their depressingness, and not just because one of them was ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PAGES LONG. Which, I guess, you all already know, but may I just say WHY ARE YOU HURTING MY BRAIN, MURAKAMI?! I have forgiven him already though, because, well, I kind of love him and I sort of fell into the story in a dreamy, druggy kind of way, and emerged only with great difficulty. Partly because I had to (where do you stop?! I can't stop unless it's the end of a chapter, and if the chapter is very very long, I have troubles!) but also because, well, I almost didn't really want to. Naoko and Reiko's retreat from the real world was, even in page form, very very soothing, and a place I kind of didn't want to leave.

But leave it I did (I had to, bloody Toru wouldn't stay there, even though he a bit needs to, or maybe what he needs is to hang out with Midori some more) so I could write some things about it and tell you all my revised opinion on Naoko. Because, well, poor Naoko! I know before I was just relatively bored with her general lacklustreness and limp dishrag qualities, but really, the girl's been through more than anyone could reasonably bear. Retreating from the world as she has her whole life, it would be difficult enough for her to exist and flourish as a part of it, but since her sister and boyfriend left her to it because they decided that the real world really was too much for them to face? I mean, what the hell is she supposed to do with that information? Really though, what got me about Naoko in these two chapters was her selflessness, and self-awareness. She realises that she has the problems that she does, she's trying to cope with them, and at the same time realises that she can't offer much to Toru, and so she wants him to carry on living, and only to remember her, nothing else. It's not asking for a lot, and a much more unreasonable person would ask for a lot more, and so for this, I kind of appreciate her a lot more.

But Naoko and Kizuki's relationship? That shit sounds, well, intense! Like, they were so wrapped up in each other that it was like the whole world didn't exist, or at least didn't matter, and so when they were thrust into the real world and all its rules and social boundaries, they didn't quite know how to deal with it. It is this which Naoko seems to think led Kizuki to commit suicide- the inability to cope with a world that wasn't exactly the way he wanted it, I guess. In moving to the retreat though, Naoko has done pretty much the same thing, so both have checked out from the world in their own ways. It's tempting to think Toru will go the same way- when he leaves the retreat, he doesn't quite know how to react to the outside world, for example, but he also isn't suited to life in the retreat either:
"I was surprised to find myself missing the hum of people shouting for no reason and saying overblown things. That was just the kind of noise I had become weary of in recent months, but sitting here eating fish in this unnaturally quiet room, I couldn't relax."
I actually warmed to Toru quite a lot in these two chapters, and I finally decided that his mental issues weren't quite as bad as Naoko's although I still think he has things to sort out that he hasn't really acknowledged yet to a great degree. But I could be wrong, we'll see!

I greatly missed Midori in these chapters (even though she really, really wouldn't have fit in with the serenity of the retreat because she's simply brimming with life, and is hugely a part of the outside world) but this was offset by the introduction of Reiko who I really really want to be my friend. She's so lovely, but also a kind of deceptive character (Not that she herself is deceptive, but that the way she is described is) because she seems so incredibly sane to begin with, until you find out more about her and realise just how messed up she really is (Wow. Another messed-up character. What a surprise!) I know that she's basically sane now, but still she can't reconcile herself to living out in the world because she's afraid of what might happen to her if she does. All of which I find totally ok because I like her so much and I don't want her to fall apart again because it would make me sad. Basically.

Can we talk about Reiko's piano lesson story for a minute though? Because, I don't know if it was just me, but there was a point in her story when I was wondering if the clearly sociopathic student was actually Midori. I have no firm evidence for this- Midori has shown no signs of being a lesbian, or an incorrigible liar, or, you know, a sociopath; but I've read too many books where seemingly innocuous and not related to anything else events turn out to be related to another character too. All I really have to go on is that the girl said that she couldn't love her parents, or that her parents didn't love her or something, and I kind of got a teeny bit suspicious. Believe me, I'm hoping that I am entirely wrong about this because I LOVE Midori, and I'm probably just being mental. But if we all find out in Chapter 11 that Midori is the evil life ruiner, then I want everyone to remember that I thought of it first. Agreed? Good.

Soooo, these couple of chapters have given me greater insight into Naoko, who I now have a lot more love for, and introduced me to Reiko who is really so awesome although I suspect we might not see a lot more of her (unless Toru checks into the retreat, which, admittedly, is unlikely). I also wrote down an embarrassing number of passages from the book, practically so many that I might as well have just copied it all out... Oooh, and I enjoyed the great number of popular (Western) culture references, especially Reiko liking Simon and Garfunkel, because really, that makes her my kind of woman. What I am looking forward to is some more Midori, and having looked at the first couple of pages of Chapter 7, I can already see she's there. So, yay. Onwards!

18 comments:

  1. "I sort of fell into the story in a dreamy, druggy kind of way" - that is exactly how I remember this part of the book.

    I loved Reiko during these chapters and I think it's in part because Midori is missing and she's like Midori-lite. You can see that spark of life in her, even if she's in that place.

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    1. I know right! Which I think is awesome because I think that's how you're meant to feel, all like relaxed and meditative because you're in the retreat. Reiko is pretty fab- She's really soothing and all as well as being life-filled, in a way Midori sometimes isn't. She is mildly mental though...

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  2. DUDE I WAS GOING TO MENTION THE POSSIBILITY THAT MIDORI WAS CRAZY PIANO GIRL BUT I THOUGHT TWO PLOT TWISTS IN ONE POST WOULD BE TOO MANY

    Awesome. *high fives* I hope that happens.

    "It is this which Naoko seems to think led Kizuki to commit suicide- the inability to cope with a world that wasn't exactly the way he wanted it"

    Weren't they saying he maybe did it because he kept blaming himself for not being good enough? So...not really counteracting what you're saying, but placing the blame more on himself than on the world? Somethin'?

    AGH I am just not a giant fan of this book. It's fine, and sometimes enjoyable, but it just doesn't...nope, something's missing.

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    1. OMG I'm so glad it wasn't just me! I almost didn't even say it because I didn't want to sound like a crazy person, but YAY not just me!

      I guess it was kind of him not being good enough, but wasn't it also sort of that he couldn't just be in his weird Naoko symbioticness at all times, so the world was difficult to be in? Or is that more her thing? I don't disagree with your explanation, just that I think maybe it was a bit of both?

      I LOVE THIS BOOK x A MILLION! And NOT only because that's how much better than The Help it is! (also, maybe you're not it's biggest fan because of its seemingly unending misery? Which, by the way, I'm often a big fan of!)

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    2. I am TOTALLY not into misery in books or film or obviously life. NOT INTO IT. I guess I think that if we have to deal with it in reality, I don't want to think about it in fiction. Unless it's serving some purpose for the author, and EVEN THEN, the whole book shouldn't be that way. Like, Victorian misery, fine. But there're also bright spots. This, not so much with the bright spots.

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    3. I sooo nearly just deleted your comment because I'm not used to the whole replying system thing... whoops! THAT would have been a bit of a slap in the face!

      I'm kind of into misery in fiction just because of the whole catharsis thing, and also the not-feeling-alone thing... Although, this hasn't made me cry yet because it's not that kind of misery, and usually with my misery I like to have a bit of a cry. I'm actually going to stop talking now because I think I'm sounding a teeny bit like a crazy person... But you get my drift, right? RIGHT?!

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  3. That's an interesting theory about Midori being the piano student, but I'm not sold on it yet. ALTHOUGH *Spoilers - I'm a chapter ahead* Midori isn't totally honest about everything.

    Also, long chapters are brutal, I agree.

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    1. Trust me, I'm not even sold on my own theory! I just had to put it out there, even if everyone else disagreed with me because it started being all I could think about! Also, ooh, Midori intrigue! Long chapters are LAME, even though this chapter was sort of awesome. WHERE DO YOU STOP WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK?! God, authors should really consider the feelings of their readers more...

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  4. I'm happy you are enjoying this so much! I agree, the retreat that Naoko goes to is probably the coziest sounding fictionalized placed ever written about. And you are much more sympathetic to Naoko than I was when reading this book. I thought she was whiny and selfish. I get that she has had a lot happen to her, but there comes a point when you've got to stop moping and stand up straight.

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    1. She is whiny, but I feel like she's being less selfish- like she's telling Toru to go off and find other girls and stuff, AND she seems sincere about it. I still don't exactly love her though (I just feel more sorry for her!) I kind of want to go to the retreat for a little time out... would that be bad/make me crazy? :s

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  5. I will be SO DEPRESSED if Midori turns out to be the skanky piano-lesson seducer.

    I still don't like Naoko, but these chapters definitely helped me to have a little more sympathy for her. And you're right, she does just kind of want to do her own thing and get better, and it's great that she's telling Toru she's trying to fix herself but there's a chance that may never happen. Of course it'd be a lot more selfless if she just told Toru to stay away from her so that he can TRULY move on with his life, but whatever.

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    1. It would be kind of interesting if Midori was though, no?! Although AWFUL. I do genuinely think that all Naoko wants from Toru are a few visits and just not to be forgotten, and I don't think that's really asking very much- I think that, at this point, he's holding onto her a lot more than she is to him, except I don't really know why... It's tricky.

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  6. I love the Midori-as-piano-student theory! Although I don't think at all that she's a pathological liar/life ruiner.

    I do think there's more to Reiko than meets the eye, and her overwhelming honesty toward people she barely knows is a cover for deeper issues. I mean, if she's so paranoid, why is she opening up to someone she's known for a total of one day?

    I wonder if Naoko's going to spend the entirety of the book tucked away at Ami, or if she'll eventually come back to Tokyo.

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    1. I don't think Midori is a pathological liar either, BUT we really don't know that much about her yet, other than that she's awesome! So, I'm not ruling it out, but I don't totally agree (with myself!) either.

      Ooh, I wonder that about Naoko too- I kind of want her to get better, but the way they're all talking it seems like she's never going to get better... so we'll just have to see I guess!

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  7. THANK YOU for saying so many of the things I was thinking but couldn't articulate in any sort of intelligible way. We had a similar reaction to these two chapters, and I'm feeling very affirmed in my beliefs after reading your post.

    I didn't think of the possible Midori/piano girl connection though! Ohhhh...it would be so deliciously wrong if it were true. You know what that would mean? It would mean that every one of us who loved Midori would have been no better than all the people who believed piano girl's lie about Reiko. We would be falling under her spell. That would be incredible writing. Come on, Murakami! Please let it be true!

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    1. YAY for affirmation! And yay for me being intelligible-ish! It's not something I'm often accused of...

      SO TRUE about Midori! Now I sort of want it to be true, just because it will have been an awesome authorial trick to make us all believe one thing about Midori and then just tear it down. Although also cruel, because SHE'S THE BEST ONE!

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  8. I'm not quite warming up to Naoko, but I have to agree that these two chapters really bring out her selfless nature. Though she's emotionally fragile, she's matured while at Ami Hostel and has that self-awareness to embrace her "deformity". I think what sucks is that she's killing Toru with kindness - "go ahead and sleep around, just don't forget me, k thx"... ultimate guilt trip!!

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    1. Aw, I didn't think of Naoko as putting Toru on a guilt trip! I think she genuinely wants Toru to be happy, and she thinks the only way that's going to happen is if he's away from her- and then if he interprets that as a guilt trip, then that's his thing, and not hers, you know?

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