Genre: Tragic Romance, Psychological Fiction Published: 1987 Pages: 351 Tags: Death, Trauma, Bildungsroman Okay, I gave it a second chance, but I’m still skeptical. Although I enjoy reading emotional stories rooted in real-life suffering, I often struggled to grasp Murakami’s point in several places. Set in 1960s Tokyo, the story is narrated by Toru Watanabe, a 37-year-old man who is suddenly pulled into memories of his youth when he hears the Beatles' song “Norwegian Wood.” Watanabe is the kind of character who seems to attract — or be drawn toward — deeply troubled, emotionally complex people. Norwegian Wood explores a tale of love, loss, and the unsettling feeling of things left unfinished. The traumatic bond between Watanabe and Naoko, a fragile woman grieving the loss of her boyfriend Kizuki (Watanabe’s best friend), seems to be born from shared pain. Later, we’re introduced to Midori — vibrant, bold, and unpredictable. Watanabe finds himself torn between the tragic pull of h...
Genre: Fantasy, Romance Published: 1997 Pages: 317 Tags: Fiction, magic realism At some point in our lives, we all have wished to be a part of magic, an escape from the never ending troubles of our lives; I know i have. "The Mistress of spices" is one such story, a girl born with mystical powers in a small village. The powers she was so proud of, later turned out to be a curse losing everything she once took for granted. when in search of vengeance, she who has been given several names discovered a path to help herself while serving the people. The stories she heard sailed her across the ocean to a distant island where she found the "Old one," as they call her. The old one trains the sisters to become mistresses who later go on helping people through the spices magic. Divakaruni carefully depicts the struggles faced by the immigrants in an unknown land far away from the warmth of their home country. Throughout the novel, the author expresses gratitude towards the...