Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
I read this book on recommendation by several people as I wanted to expand the geography of my reading. It's set in Japan, I've actually read a few set in Japan now (Convenience Store Woman - which I've just realised I never reviewed, such a shame because it was a really odd book!, The Key to Midnight - this one really doesn't count!), but it's a culture I'm fascinated by. I really hope to go there sometime. However, the most you really learn about the culture of Japan is that The Beatles really were big all over. The title of the book is (probably obvious to most people but sadly not to the musical ignoramus that is me!) a reference to The Beatles’ song of the same name. It's the favourite song of one of the main characters. It's really about people. Dysfunctional, messed up people. It's written from the point of view of Toru Watanabe, a university student in 1960's Tokyo, and is about his relationships with five different people who ...