An excerpt from Norwegian Wood

An excerpt from Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, the middle of the chapter titled, “It occurred to me when I saw the Bösendorfer grand piano at her parents’ house.”<br><br> <br>“There’s a silence that hovers while a person strides into their transition; and this silence continues as far as the eye can see. In this place where the silence abides, there are no seasons and no signs of life. There isn’t even absolute peace. It’s a silence that is simultaneously distant and close. It’s the kind of silence that makes you feel like you could reach out with your hand and touch the murmurs of the earth.”<br><br> I pray that it gets quieter.<br><br> -Gord Downie, 2002<br><br> <br>I think people without an obsession, people who don’t go on about something, are a little bit nuts. I think they’re the crazy ones. I don’t like that sort of nonsense. It’s better to be obsessed than to be well-balanced and boring. Well-balanced people are just average. I think people should always be obsessed, really, and get on with their lives.