Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Murakami again comes to rescue me from a reading slump. I couldn't put this novel down and finished it really quickly, but while I undoubtedly enjoyed After Dark, because how can you not get lost in the worlds that Murakami creates, it will have to be judged against his other writing. That is the territory that you now have to inhabit, Haruki.
What I loved was that Murakami again brought me closer to readers and musicians and people that make my real-life friends much more boring than they are. And I know it's not my friends that are the problem, it's me because I am more like Mari and I can sit at a Denny's until way past closing and feel safe, but are there really people like that?
Anyway, so then we get this film perspective interpolated where we are watching the characters from the point of view of an omniscient narrator and that was cool. I liked that, and there was a bit of magical realism introduced as well, or weirdness, either way I liked it. And so, that may be the point, that as a personal preference I really liked this book. But After the Quake and Men Without Women I liked more. So I can't say I love this, because if I had to choose it wouldn't be the first. But I love Murakami and will always, I think?, enjoy his works.
What I loved was that Murakami again brought me closer to readers and musicians and people that make my real-life friends much more boring than they are. And I know it's not my friends that are the problem, it's me because I am more like Mari and I can sit at a Denny's until way past closing and feel safe, but are there really people like that?
Anyway, so then we get this film perspective interpolated where we are watching the characters from the point of view of an omniscient narrator and that was cool. I liked that, and there was a bit of magical realism introduced as well, or weirdness, either way I liked it. And so, that may be the point, that as a personal preference I really liked this book. But After the Quake and Men Without Women I liked more. So I can't say I love this, because if I had to choose it wouldn't be the first. But I love Murakami and will always, I think?, enjoy his works.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Murakami so much and this book always intrigued me right from the title and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a very interesting take on encounters with strangers, opening up, reflecting and curiosity. It’s a very enjoyable and intriguing read and was such a page turned for me! I would read it again.
Nighttime. Murakami delivers exactly what he had promised, hence After Dark is neither plot or character-driven yet perfectly captures the enigmatic atmosphere of nighttime in a Japanese city. After Dark: is quite literally the period from 11pm to 6am; is a metaphor for situations and struggles people deal with which we cannot see under daylight; and also reflects the structure of this novel - it starts in medias res, ends open-endedly and concretizes very few things throughout the novel, thus leaving us with many questions. this novel is not one of Murakami's usual grandiose works but will leave a lasting impression on the reader. (+surprisingly women's boobs were only mentioned once, props to that)
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The new day is almost here, but the old one is still dragging its heavy skirts. Just as ocean water and river water struggle against each other at a river mouth, the old time and the new time clash and blend. Takahashi is unable to tell for sure which side—which world—contains his centre of gravity.
Murakami’s writing style is actually gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. His use of first-person plural perspective is stellar. He uses this omniscient camera lens to symbolise us, the reader, and he speaks about our inability to influence the story we’re reading. We’re observers, voyeurs, nothing more. What an interesting narrative voice to use!
This book, at its core, is about duality. Darkness within light, light within darkness, people and behaviours existing within perpetual grey areas. When dark things happen to people, who do they become as a result? How can darkness be used to shine a light on who people really are? When the majority of the world is sleeping, what parts of you wake up?
Using the liminal space of a singular night in Tokyo, Murakami explores the way people expose themselves under the safety of darkness. This whole book is full of conversation, of vulnerable interactions between strangers who—verbatim—mention that they don’t know why they feel this sudden urge to spill their innermost secrets. More than once, Mari is described by other characters as being easy to talk to. I found that very interesting, mostly because she spent a lot of the first three quarters of the book not being an active participant in many of the conversations. Very often she’d be talked at and would often only hum or nod her head in response. She was a void, almost; she was a darkness that people felt led to pour their own darkness into. However, as the book progresses, Mari starts to open up about what she’s dealing with but, even then, her own stories always seem to be in response to someone else’s. Darkness for darkness.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A