Luke’s Reviews > Norwegian Wood > Status Update

Nagasawa and Hatsumi argue, Hatsumi’s suicide in the future, Toru’s letter about his memories of Kizuki. This book is heartbreaking.

“I imagined that, in death, he had shriveled up smaller than ever. And then they had burned him in an oven until he was nothing but ashes. And what had he left behind? A nothing-much bookstore in a nothing-much neighborhood and two daughters, at least one of whom was more than a little strange. What kind of life was that? I wondered.”

Reiko’s continuation of her story, Toru goes back

Piano is to Reiko as Kizuki is to Naoko

Ami Hostel

"How did you like my song?" she asked.
I answered cautiously, "It was unique and original and very expressive of your personality."
"Thanks," she said. "The theme is that I have nothing"
"Yeah, I kinda thought so."
"You know," she said, "when my mother died..."
"Yeah?"
"I didn't feel the least bit sad."
"Oh."
"And I didn't feel sad when my father left, either."
"Yeah?"