Concept:
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a beautiful melding of the East and West. Japan’s culture was changed by western pop-culture in the ‘60s following Japan’s submission to America after WWII. With the book’s underlying subplot, many of the young characters are trying to find where they fit in between the new ‘hippie’ lifestyle of the American ‘60s and their own more conservative Japanese morals. This is most easily shown by the juxtaposition between the book’s namesake being a famous Beatles song and the narrative setting of a university in Tokyo. The book focuses on young love and self-discovery, while also integrating the more serious topic of mental illnesses, depression, and suicide. In fact, in the book’s final chapters Muirikam alludes to the idea that the story is a play on, or at least is inspired by, the absurdity of ancient Greek tragedies. The whole story is focused around the protagonist, Watanabe and his two main love interests, Midori and Naoko, showing the duality of the book by both the girls being portrayals of life and death respectively.
This design showcases all of these aspects. The overall aesthetic is a play on traditional Japanese woodblock prints with dark outlines, a pastel color palette, and intricate pattern overlays, but the subject matter is portrayed with more western techniques of proportion and perspective. The scene illustrated is one taken straight from the book, where Naoko rests on the edge of the bed, knees to her chest doused in beautiful mystery and moonlight. Fitting with her side of the duality, death, this takes place in a mental retreat where she’s living due to her declining mental state. The following day is possibly the last time Watanabe sees her happy, also the first flashback we are introduced to in the opening chapter. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, Naoko gives in to her depression and commits suicide by hanging herself in the very woods outside the room portrayed. At first glance, the cover is eye-catching and intriguing with the bold illustration and the melancholic, yet still psychedelic, color palette of cool pinks, purples, and blues, while still being faithful to the vintage aesthetics of the ‘60s. Then on further inspection, following her line of sight, a noose can be found just visibly hanging from the branch of the tree outside the window. Implying, like the book does, that Naoko always knows what fate had in store for her.
Designed by: Marie Steiger