Richp answers “Did anyone else cringe at the Reiko's...”

Jana asked this question about Norwegian Wood:

Did anyone else cringe at the Reiko's story of the young piano student? Maybe I am wrong but it seemed to me kind of a male-gaze, homophobic, child sexualizing... I did not appreciate that story. Maybe someone can offer me a different perspective

Richp The kid is presented as an accomplished psychopath, and while it is very plausible that psychopaths are psychopaths at that age, I find it a stretch s…moreThe kid is presented as an accomplished psychopath, and while it is very plausible that psychopaths are psychopaths at that age, I find it a stretch she is so accomplished at it at 13. We must balance that with this not presented as truth but as Reiko's story, but the symptoms are so good Reiko is unlikely to have been able to make it up unless she was a shrink or a psychopath herself.

I think this is really a setup about Midori, who is likely not a true psychopath, but comes across as a very controlling and psychologically abusive personality herself, but not as cunning, who is not so powerful but finds and selects Toru as her victim. The Intro makes no sense as part of this novel unless we take it as the solution to the ambiguous ending of whether or not Toru puts up with another period of silence after he opens up. We do not know what happened after their last conversation in the 1968 to 1970 main scene of the novel. The beginning tells us he survives, and by inference, Midori did not screw up his life. I recognize her quite well, although different woman, different culture.

I was truly impressed how Murakami's weird characterizations were so much like people I have known or read about.(less)

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