Norwegian forest

A title that from the first moment alludes to the harsh weather of northern Europe, and indicates the subject of the novel which the author avoided revealing. Naoko, one of the novel's heroes, says, "This song makes me feel overwhelming sadness. I don't know. It seems to me that I am wandering in a deep forest. And I am alone in cold darkness, no one comes to rescue me. That's why Raiko should never play it unless I ask her to." Haruki Murakami comes late; he is the (prodigal son), not only in Japan, as an outsider to the privacy of Japanese society's writers, but also in other languages into which his literature has been translated, reaching 38 languages including Arabic. Perhaps his novel (Norwegian Wood) stands as the clearest expression of the deviation he chose as a distinctive feature of his literature, as his novels, in general, are filled with characters addicted to marginal life, within a daily routine that is a mixture of surreal magic and blunt realism, which goes to the point of absurdity and explores major questions about identity, but without directness, giving his literature a police-like touch in presenting the plot, without the scene featuring a policeman, lawyer, or criminal. Number of pages: 398 Year of publication: 2008 Publisher: Arab Cultural Center