Its protagonist becomes involved with the vivacious Midori after his ex-girlfriend Naoko, who is also the ex-girlfriend of his suicidal best friend Kizuku, is committed to a sanatorium.
This novel's protagonist describes feeling a knot of air inside himself that took the form of the words "death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life". One scene in this novel, which was adapted from its author's earlier short story "Firefly", sees the protagonist eat cucumbers with the cancer patient Mr. Kobayashi. Early in this novel, its protagonist describes being woken up by the daily exercise routine of his roommate, a stuttering geography major whose conservative dress earns him the nickname "Storm Trooper". Its protagonist becomes involved with the vivacious Midori after his ex-girlfriend Naoko, who is also the ex-girlfriend of his suicidal best friend Kizuku, is committed to a sanatorium. For 10 points, identify this work that opens with Toru Watanabe hearing the title Beatles song, a novel by Haruki Murakami.
This novel's protagonist describes feeling a knot of air inside himself that took the form of the words "death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life".
Norwegian Wood [or Noruwei no Mori]