Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - All the Lovers in the Night

This being my third novel of hers, I think I can fairly say that Kawakami is a master of distinct and heart-wrenching characters. When this novel begins, Fuyoko's life is rigidly routine-oriented. She works and that's it - it's quite sad, honestly. Though Fuyoko's life seems boring in theory, Kawakami's deeply human and straightforward narration keeps it interesting. Like her other novels, All the Lovers in the Night is a book about self-discovery and shirking expectations. At its core, this novel celebrates the ability that individual friendships have to push us to see the world in a completely new way.

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

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.

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