Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood

Now, this must be a first for me, reviewing a novel the whole of a nation read. But sad to say, the favourite writing son of the Land of the Rising Sun simply failed to shine in my view. The first hundred pages or so of prose were nondescript, none too spectacular. I was often close to giving it all up, and moving on to other read.

The story is simple enough, about a teenage boy, Watanabe, who struggles with his love for a lovely girl, Naoko, and is indecisive to move on when faced with her prospect of a life of mental illness. I wasn't much moved, seriously. Perhaps I can't comprehend the Japanese culture and the mentality of its young, which is probably the attraction of this novel. I guess this is the best I can conclude, lackadaisical though.