Reading Order
Norwegian WoodMurakami Norwegian Wood Reading Order
Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood (1987) is his most direct and most beloved novel — the story of Toru Watanabe's love for two very different women, Naoko and Midori, in Tokyo in the late 1960s, set against the background of the student protests and Naoko's deteriorating mental health. Norwegian Wood was Murakami's breakthrough to mass readership — it sold millions of copies in Japan on publication and has since become one of the most widely read Japanese novels internationally. Unlike his more surrealist works, Norwegian Wood is realistic and direct in its emotions, drawing on the traditions of Western coming-of-age fiction rather than the magical realism of his other novels.
Where to start
Norwegian Wood
Complete Norwegian Wood Book List
- 1Buy
Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami·1987·Murakami's most direct novel and the best starting point for most readers — Toru, Naoko, and Midori in 1960s Tokyo; realistic where his other novels are surrealist, and the most emotionally direct of his works - 2Buy
Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami·2002·The companion in Murakami's surrealist mode — a teenage boy who runs away from home and an elderly man who can make fish rain from the sky; for readers who want to follow Norwegian Wood with the Murakami who uses magic and myth - 3Buy
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Haruki Murakami·1994·Murakami's most complex and most celebrated long novel — Toru Okada's search for his missing cat and then his missing wife; for readers who want the full Murakami and are ready for his most ambitious work - Buy
South of the Border, West of the Sun
OptionalHaruki Murakami·1992·The companion in Murakami's more realistic mode — a man's encounter with his childhood sweetheart after twenty-five years; shorter than Norwegian Wood and addressing similar themes of loss, memory, and the roads not taken
Norwegian Wood — Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Haruki Murakami in?
Norwegian Wood is the best starting point for most readers — it is his most accessible and emotionally direct work. If you want to go directly into his surrealist mode, start with Kafka on the Shore instead. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and 1Q84 are his most ambitious works and are best read after you know his style. A Wild Sheep Chase (1982) is the beginning of his Rat tetralogy and the best starting point if you want to read his work chronologically.
Is Norwegian Wood different from Murakami's other novels?
Yes — Norwegian Wood is Murakami's most realistic novel and the one most removed from the magical-realist elements that characterize his other work. There are no talking cats, no alternate worlds, no mysterious wells or hotels. Norwegian Wood draws on the tradition of Western realistic coming-of-age fiction (Fitzgerald, Salinger) more directly than any of his other novels.
What is Norwegian Wood about?
Norwegian Wood is narrated by Toru Watanabe, who recalls his student years in late 1960s Tokyo. He is in love with Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki, who committed suicide; Naoko is struggling with a mental breakdown connected to the trauma of Kizuki's death. He also meets Midori, a direct and life-affirming student who is also attracted to him. The novel follows Toru's relationships with both women, set against the background of student protests that he watches with complete detachment.
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