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kimbofo's review against another edition
4.0
Set in contemporary Tokyo, Mieko Kawakami’s All the Lovers in the Night tells the story of a 30-something freelance proofreader who isolates herself from the real world because she has difficulty making friends and forming meaningful relationships — both at work and at play.
Deeply introverted and carrying trauma from her high school years, Fuyuko Irie begins to self-medicate with alcohol, and “with the aid of just one can of beer, drunk slowly, or a single cup of sake” she develops “the ability to let go of my usual self”.
When she consumes too much sake one morning and accidentally vomits on a stranger she bumps into — an older man called Mitsutsuka — a tentative friendship develops between them.
Like Kawakami’s previous novel Heaven, which looked at social ostracization and bullying in a schoolyard setting, "All the Lovers of the Night" switches to the adult world of work and looks at what happens to those who struggle to fit in socially.
Fuyuko’s sense of social alienation and isolation worsens when she quits her job to go freelance. Initially, it’s fine because free from the pressure of an office environment, she can focus solely on the work that gives her so much pleasure. She has regular contact with the editor, Hijiri Ishikawa, who keeps her supplied with manuscripts to work on, and the pair sometimes go out for a drink.
But even when socialising with Hijiri, she rarely gives anything away and struggles to make small talk. Hijiri is too self-absorbed to pay this much heed, but later, towards the end of the novel, she becomes increasingly frustrated with Fuyuko’s passivity, accusing her of “just going through life without asking anything of anyone, or letting anyone ask anything of you”.
Eventually, Fuyoko’s self-imposed isolation gets the better of her and she falls into something that looks like depression but is never stated as such. She lets her fledgling relationship with Mitsutsuka slide, even though she’s convinced herself she’s fallen in love with him.
The story explores the meaning of friendship and the need for human companionship and connection. It also looks at what society expects of women, and how those who forgo children and marriage, perhaps in favour of a career, are judged more harshly and the bar for success is raised much higher for them.
All the Lovers in the Night is the kind of book you can binge-read in one sitting. I loved the way it explored one woman’s attempt to expand her universe, to find her voice and to overcome loneliness. It’s a deeply melancholic but ultimately rewarding read.
For a more detailed review, please see my blog.
Deeply introverted and carrying trauma from her high school years, Fuyuko Irie begins to self-medicate with alcohol, and “with the aid of just one can of beer, drunk slowly, or a single cup of sake” she develops “the ability to let go of my usual self”.
When she consumes too much sake one morning and accidentally vomits on a stranger she bumps into — an older man called Mitsutsuka — a tentative friendship develops between them.
Like Kawakami’s previous novel Heaven, which looked at social ostracization and bullying in a schoolyard setting, "All the Lovers of the Night" switches to the adult world of work and looks at what happens to those who struggle to fit in socially.
Fuyuko’s sense of social alienation and isolation worsens when she quits her job to go freelance. Initially, it’s fine because free from the pressure of an office environment, she can focus solely on the work that gives her so much pleasure. She has regular contact with the editor, Hijiri Ishikawa, who keeps her supplied with manuscripts to work on, and the pair sometimes go out for a drink.
But even when socialising with Hijiri, she rarely gives anything away and struggles to make small talk. Hijiri is too self-absorbed to pay this much heed, but later, towards the end of the novel, she becomes increasingly frustrated with Fuyuko’s passivity, accusing her of “just going through life without asking anything of anyone, or letting anyone ask anything of you”.
Eventually, Fuyoko’s self-imposed isolation gets the better of her and she falls into something that looks like depression but is never stated as such. She lets her fledgling relationship with Mitsutsuka slide, even though she’s convinced herself she’s fallen in love with him.
The story explores the meaning of friendship and the need for human companionship and connection. It also looks at what society expects of women, and how those who forgo children and marriage, perhaps in favour of a career, are judged more harshly and the bar for success is raised much higher for them.
All the Lovers in the Night is the kind of book you can binge-read in one sitting. I loved the way it explored one woman’s attempt to expand her universe, to find her voice and to overcome loneliness. It’s a deeply melancholic but ultimately rewarding read.
For a more detailed review, please see my blog.
rosalux's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is a brilliant depiction of the loneliness that encapsulates life in modernity.
How difficult it is to not be a zombie; how hard it is to make friends and keep them; how excruciating to be vulnerable and expose your soft underside to a cold and uncaring world.
Yet, it’s worth it (in brief random spurts).
How difficult it is to not be a zombie; how hard it is to make friends and keep them; how excruciating to be vulnerable and expose your soft underside to a cold and uncaring world.
Yet, it’s worth it (in brief random spurts).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Mental illness and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming and Cancer
alexycred's review against another edition
4.0
The friend having an affair.
The friend’s husband having an affair.
The boss that sleeps around.
I kept waiting for Mitsutsuka to be either the friend’s lover, the friend’s husband, or someone the boss had slept with. In reality, it was much more depressing. Hijiri is the ultimate lonely sad girl and I’m here for it.
The friend’s husband having an affair.
The boss that sleeps around.
I kept waiting for Mitsutsuka to be either the friend’s lover, the friend’s husband, or someone the boss had slept with. In reality, it was much more depressing. Hijiri is the ultimate lonely sad girl and I’m here for it.
megrasmussen's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sumia's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
laynasbookshelf's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
koelyen's review against another edition
emotional
4.0
nothing exiting rlly happens which is fine because it reflects the mc (she is miserable and her life is boring js like me frfr)
ikapradyasti's review against another edition
4.0
A 221-page 'no plot, just vibes' story of Fuyuko’s lonely life as a freelance proofreader in her mid-30s, her friendship with the energetic Hijiri, and overwhelming feelings toward a man in his 50s named Mitsutsuku whom she met weekly in a café.
Suitable reading if you're in the mood for:
❁ sad settings, but also cathartic
❁ witty dialogues
❁ character-driven, slow-paced story
Suitable reading if you're in the mood for:
❁ sad settings, but also cathartic
❁ witty dialogues
❁ character-driven, slow-paced story
claudiarippon's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
found it really hard to get into at first, sloooowww start. but really really enjoyed the last third of the book. i felt sad that the book was ending when i had only just gotten hooked on it. i saw lots of myself in the main character. might even read again in the future