Norwegian Wood: Naoko’s Thoughts

This happens to me quite a lot:

“I can never say what I want to say,” continued Naoko. “It’s been like this for a while now. I try to say something, but all I get are the wrong words—the wrong words or the exact opposite words from what I mean. I try to correct myself, and that only makes it worse. I lose track of what I was trying to say to begin with. It’s like I’m split in two and playing tag with myself. One half is chasing the other half around this big, fat post. The other me has the right words, but this me can't catch her.”

The above passage from page 25 of Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is something I can totally relate to. Naoko said it so succinctly: I play tag with myself. This is a book that has a sort of quiet quality to it, moving, emotionally engaging. Murakami always has this effect on me. I’ve only just finished page 60 and I already felt a connection with Naoko, Toru, and Kizuki.

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