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

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

5.0

“…when it comes to emotions, feelings, moods, all those things, I can never figure out where mine end and other people’s begin.”

Maybe this was just what I needed. I might not be in my thirties yet, but I do know loneliness. This book has kept me company, I think that’s the best way to put it. Maybe a hand to help pull you out from drowning, more like it comes to sit with you bringing no judgment. Insightful conversations and storytelling that hits close to home, Kawakami is an insane writer. Positive. 

I used to despise it when people say they have nothing interesting about them— thinking that nothing about the things that fill their days, their hobbies, their feelings is “nothing interesting.” I hated it because I used to be the same. This book hits close to home. I live in a bubble of my own making because that’s what was expected of me. That in living a good life, I needed to study well, get into college, find a job. Sure, that’s what it generally means. That’s the recipe, the path to said good life. I am boring. I am bored. Boring and bored. Bored and boring. 

Gorgeous, gorgeous writing with a deeply relatable main character. It also offered insights through the conversations between characters and it unpacks some difficult truths. It’s realistic. It’s comforting.

Love this book, it was exactly what I needed.


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