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torismazarine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Car accident, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
virgcole398's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship
izzysreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Vomit, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
spogboy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Vomit, Sexual assault, and Car accident
Moderate: Car accident, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
savvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Rape, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The thing about an author's first translated novel being her best one is it sets the bar high for all her subsequent translated works, and they might not wholly live up to it.
Such is the case here with All the Lovers in the Night, whose story of a thirty-something woman with a solitary job in Tokyo bears similarities to Breasts and Eggs, but - published in its original Japanese nearly a decade before the latter - is less successful in terms of story and emotional beats, though I still like it.
I enjoy the novel's exploration of its themes - the transient and obfuscating nature of time, memories, and acts of remembering and recollection - and the gradual growth of the protagonist Irie. However, I can hardly remember the story - what takes place between the crucial scenes and plot points - for it seems static a lot of the time, with similar occurrings replaying in several loops.
There is nothing wrong with a novel that does not focus on plot, but what substitutes for that - be it inner monologue, rumination, characterization - should be effective, and in this case I do not find Irie's reflections to be effective enough. The book also needs more proofreading and copyediting, as there are still some missing words and grammatical errors.
Nevertheless, I do enjoy watching the character grow as she tentatively learns to bask in the night and, step by step, revel in all its lights.
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexism, Vomit, and Car accident