When it was published in 1987, “Norwegian Wood” catapulted Japanese author, Haruki Murakami to fame, especially among Japanese youths. Due to the story having to do with the emotions of youth, the vicissitudes in adolescence as well as the quintessential coming-to-terms with society’s demands, it resonated with the very same young people the book was depicting. Ironically, such a rise to fame upset Murakami and caused him to relocate to America. Since then, Murakami has seen increasing popularity with time. Many of his books have been translated to various languages and some of his works such as “Hear the Wind Sing” (1979), “Tony Takitani” (1990) and the source of this review “Norwegian Wood” (1987) have been adapted into films.

The book borrows its name from a 1965 song by The Beatles, which was originally titled “Norwegian Wood (The Bird has Flown)”. It was referenced in the first scene when Toru Watanabe arrives in West Hamburg,...