A review by kez07
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

At first I was unsure of this book. My feelings kept changing while reading it and at a certain point, it hit me how important it would end up feeling. Fuyuko is flawed in many ways but she tries to open herself up to more in her relationships. The people around her are also flawed, but they seem to care for her. Seeing her struggle with alcoholism and with how others perceive her felt uncomfortable and at times embarrassing but that’s the point. It’s life. I loved it and I’m glad I didn’t let the uncomfortable feeling overpower this book since it was also incredibly delicate and intimate at times. At a certain point, I was picturing what I thought it would look like in film, the lighting would be incredible with the way Fuyuko sees it and she would look normal and fine until it switches to the perspective of the viewer/stranger and it would show her slurring her words, or stumbling a little.
I can’t help but think of that scene with Mitsusuka where she tells him that she was drunk all the previous times they met, and he said he knew, but he likes her company no matter which version he meets with. That nearly made me cry.
This was truly an incredible book. 
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