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A review by literarycrushes
At the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro Hirano
5.0
Keiichiro Hirano’s At the End of the Matinee is as complex and beautiful as any one of the scores Satoshi Makino might play. While the story is a classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl only to have to find her again, etc., Hirano’s story feels fresh. Makino is a successful concert guitarist nearing middle age when he meets Yoko Komine, an intelligent journalist working in Iraq (the novel was initially published in Japanese in 2016 but takes place in 2007). Their connection is instant, but the two are too respectful to act on their attraction right away – partially because Yoko is engaged to someone else – and they continue to remain in close contact for months via Skype and email as they embark on a globe-spanning game of ‘almosts’ and ‘what ifs.’
One of the many things I loved about this novel was that even though it’s a love story, the characters retain their own full lives, with interests and passions that are entirely separate from their relationship. In some ways, it reminded me of the Before Sunrise tribology - partially because it’s told as a series of conversational vignettes set within the breathtaking backdrops of Paris, Tokyo, and New York. You get the sense that these two characters are meant to be together despite everything pulling them apart. I never needed to suspend disbelief, even when they find their way back to one another over and over again. The story was beautiful, but it was the language that made me feel so deeply about these characters I won’t soon forget. Honestly, this might be my favorite read so far in 2022!
One of the many things I loved about this novel was that even though it’s a love story, the characters retain their own full lives, with interests and passions that are entirely separate from their relationship. In some ways, it reminded me of the Before Sunrise tribology - partially because it’s told as a series of conversational vignettes set within the breathtaking backdrops of Paris, Tokyo, and New York. You get the sense that these two characters are meant to be together despite everything pulling them apart. I never needed to suspend disbelief, even when they find their way back to one another over and over again. The story was beautiful, but it was the language that made me feel so deeply about these characters I won’t soon forget. Honestly, this might be my favorite read so far in 2022!