Similarities between Norwegian Wood and The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I had never read or watched The Reluctant Fundamentalist before this, so after reading it with the plot and characters of Norwegian Wood in mind, I could immediately recognize the similarities between the two of them. Although the two stories still have many differences, the similarities between them are impossible to ignore.

First of all, Changez and Erica's love story in The Reluctant Fundamentalist is almost identical to that of Toru and Naoko in Norwegian Wood. Naoko's and Erica's life stories are very similar. Both of them have been pulled into a terrible depression due to the deaths of their childhood friends turned boyfriends. Since Naoko and Kizuki and Erica and Chris grew up together and really only hung out with each other, when Kizuki and Chris die, Naoko and Erica lose the one person they have shared their entire adolescent life with. However, their situations are slightly different in that Chris died of lung cancer and Kizuki committed suicide, and in addition to Kizuki's death, Naoko had to cope with the suicide of her sister. Also, Toru was friends with Kizuki and Naoko in the past while Changez was not friends with Chris and Erica, and Erica--surrounded by friends when she meets Changez--seems much more outgoing than Naoko, who is very meek and quiet.

The stories then follow a very similar plot. Eventually, Toru and Changez sleep with Naoko and Erica, but the sex itself is full of sadness and loneliness, both women letting things be done to them rather than actively participating. The Reluctant Fundamentalist at first seems a little more optimistic though, as Erica and Changez finish the day on what Changez at least believes are good terms, whereas Naoko was lying away from Toru, silent and unmoving, the morning after. Then, both Toru and Changez don't hear from Naoko or Erica for a while, so Toru sends Naoko letters and Changez sends Erica emails in an attempt to reach them. They then find out that Naoko and Erica are in sanatoriums in the mountains. Snowy hills and woods are present in both of these sanatoriums, and Toru is greeted by Reiko/Changez is greeted by a friendly nurse when they first get there. The sanatorium in Norwegian Wood, however, seems to be a more specialized, different kind of practice (the patients and doctors intermingle and "heal" each other) than the one in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which seems more like a general sanatorium.

The way that the stories (or at least the given fragments) end are very similar, as well. Both Naoko's and Erica's mental states end up rapidly declining, and they seem to be stuck in the past (specifically, stuck on people in the past). They both sneak away to the outdoors and commit suicide, Naoko hanging herself in the woods while Erica most likely threw herself off of a cliff. However, Erica's death is not confirmed, whereas Naoko's is definitely ascertained by the other characters.

 Melody