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A review by oofym
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
“It's true though: time moves in its own special way in the middle of the night"
After Dark is certainly what I call a "vibe" book, yeah there's not that much plot or character development going on, but my goodness the ambiance and atmosphere in this are compelling. I think this might be Murakami's best writing in terms of pure descriptive talents, yes wind-up bird has more mystery, and Kafka has a more entertaining plot, but After Dark really sucks you into the setting of being in the dead of night of Tokyo city. The first page is genuinely one of my favourite starts to a book I've ever read, so props for that Murakami.
I think a lot of people in their reviews/criticisms are missing a crucial element of the novel; that being the theme of Dualism, almost to the point where it reminds me of Manicheism. There's frequent talk in the story of the living element the night, sleep and the dark possess. Characters discuss feeling like at any moment they might slip out of the safety of the logical daytime world and find themselves plunging into Alice's rabbit hole with no thought in the world of how they might ever return. It's trippy, I love it.
“Let me tell you something, Mari. The ground we stand on looks solid enough, but if something happens it can drop right out from under you. And once that happens, you've had it: things'll never be the same. All you can do is go on, living alone down there in the darkness...”
Parallel realities exist in After Dark, not only in the separation between every sunset and sunrise, but also in mirrors, in reflections.
I love ambiguous stories, After Dark is very ambiguous. I understand other reader's frustrations, but honestly, it's a story you have to be reading for the vibes and the utter strangeness of it.
After Dark is certainly what I call a "vibe" book, yeah there's not that much plot or character development going on, but my goodness the ambiance and atmosphere in this are compelling. I think this might be Murakami's best writing in terms of pure descriptive talents, yes wind-up bird has more mystery, and Kafka has a more entertaining plot, but After Dark really sucks you into the setting of being in the dead of night of Tokyo city. The first page is genuinely one of my favourite starts to a book I've ever read, so props for that Murakami.
I think a lot of people in their reviews/criticisms are missing a crucial element of the novel; that being the theme of Dualism, almost to the point where it reminds me of Manicheism. There's frequent talk in the story of the living element the night, sleep and the dark possess. Characters discuss feeling like at any moment they might slip out of the safety of the logical daytime world and find themselves plunging into Alice's rabbit hole with no thought in the world of how they might ever return. It's trippy, I love it.
“Let me tell you something, Mari. The ground we stand on looks solid enough, but if something happens it can drop right out from under you. And once that happens, you've had it: things'll never be the same. All you can do is go on, living alone down there in the darkness...”
Parallel realities exist in After Dark, not only in the separation between every sunset and sunrise, but also in mirrors, in reflections.
I love ambiguous stories, After Dark is very ambiguous. I understand other reader's frustrations, but honestly, it's a story you have to be reading for the vibes and the utter strangeness of it.
"Eyes mark the shape of the city."