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A review by thewordsdevourer
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexism, Vomit, and Car accident