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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(Originally posted here!)
It was the last week of 2012 before I realized that I had blog challenges for myself. While I have given up the 2012 Debut Author Challenge for naught, I remembered that my personal challenge to finally read a Haruki Murakami book once and for all still has hope. I happened to have a copy of After Dark ready, and because I was sick for a couple of days, I had all the time in the world to devour all 191 pages of it.
So how was my Murakami experience? The first and only word that brands itself in my mind at the moment is surreal. This is a story set after hours - after the sun has set and dissolving as the sun's rays penetrate the horizon. Unlike what you would expect for a book set in this time frame, though, the pace is rather slow. Murakami has a way of weaving strange curiosities into his writing, making you feel like an entity that is invisible, and everywhere all at the same time. I don't know if this was brought on by being in my sickbed, but reading the whole thing felt like a dream. Details and such just floated beyond me, and what remained was an odd mixture of desolation and a burning desire to understand what was going on. I felt like I belonged to the world of Mari and Takahashi and the other characters, people who seemed so mysterious and fascinating in the veil of night, wandering as everything is cloaked in impenetrable darkness dusted with the light of the moon.*
One of my favorite quotes from this book was by Mari Asai:
There's a darkly whimsical element in the book that kept me curious all throughout. This wasn't even a plot-driven kind of book, but because of Murakami's skill, I enjoyed it in all its passiveness and floaty quality. Honestly, I still don't know what to make of it. I still couldn't understand the deal with Mari's sister, Eri, and her peculiar sojourn into the television set, among other things. However, I'm choosing to just go with the flow and accept my inability to understand, so that I can appreciate the way it was written, and because it is beautiful.
*Aaaand here was my attempt to sound poetic. Forgive me. I had Moonlight Sonata playing in the background and I somehow got into the zone.
It was the last week of 2012 before I realized that I had blog challenges for myself. While I have given up the 2012 Debut Author Challenge for naught, I remembered that my personal challenge to finally read a Haruki Murakami book once and for all still has hope. I happened to have a copy of After Dark ready, and because I was sick for a couple of days, I had all the time in the world to devour all 191 pages of it.
So how was my Murakami experience? The first and only word that brands itself in my mind at the moment is surreal. This is a story set after hours - after the sun has set and dissolving as the sun's rays penetrate the horizon. Unlike what you would expect for a book set in this time frame, though, the pace is rather slow. Murakami has a way of weaving strange curiosities into his writing, making you feel like an entity that is invisible, and everywhere all at the same time. I don't know if this was brought on by being in my sickbed, but reading the whole thing felt like a dream. Details and such just floated beyond me, and what remained was an odd mixture of desolation and a burning desire to understand what was going on. I felt like I belonged to the world of Mari and Takahashi and the other characters, people who seemed so mysterious and fascinating in the veil of night, wandering as everything is cloaked in impenetrable darkness dusted with the light of the moon.*
One of my favorite quotes from this book was by Mari Asai:
You know what I think?" she says. "That people's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive. Whether those memories have any actual importance or not, it doesn't matter as far as the maintenance of life is concerned. They're all just fuel. Advertising fillers in the newspaper, philosophy books, dirty pictures in a magazine, a bundle of ten-thousand-yen bills: when you feed 'em to the fire, they're all just paper.
There's a darkly whimsical element in the book that kept me curious all throughout. This wasn't even a plot-driven kind of book, but because of Murakami's skill, I enjoyed it in all its passiveness and floaty quality. Honestly, I still don't know what to make of it. I still couldn't understand the deal with Mari's sister, Eri, and her peculiar sojourn into the television set, among other things. However, I'm choosing to just go with the flow and accept my inability to understand, so that I can appreciate the way it was written, and because it is beautiful.
*Aaaand here was my attempt to sound poetic. Forgive me. I had Moonlight Sonata playing in the background and I somehow got into the zone.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Murakami has a distinct dreamlike style of writing, which he contrasts with sudden crude elements, which makes the experience almost surreal. I don't know how to define After Dark, except that it was experimental, sexy, fascinating, and definitely the kind of read that remains on your mind even after you're done with it.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes