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princessrobotiv 's review for:
After Dark
by Haruki Murakami
Overall, this book puzzled me. I got the feeling that Murakami REALLY wished he could've written a screenplay but simply didn't have the means or knowledge to do so. He spends an almost irksome amount of time urging the reader to view the scenes he crafts through the lens of a camera. He frequently uses the word "we" during these moments, inviting the reader to linger alongside him as both watch the story unfold.
For me, this was awkward. It disrupted the sensory submersion that usually occurs when I read a novel, and because of this, I felt increasingly disconnected from the story and from the characters. Perhaps this was what Murakami intended, considering the way Eri Asai remains hopelessly disconnected from her life -- and even reality.
The book got two stars because I enjoyed the premise of the novel, and I thought that there were brief flashes of insight that bordered on profundity. Unfortunately, the novel was either too short or too abstract -- or both -- for me to really get a clear understanding of what Murakami was trying to say. Nothing really happened, and few of the characters, if any, changed dynamically throughout the course of the novel.
'After Dark' didn't put me off of Murakami entirely, but I probably won't tackle another book of his for at least a few months.
For me, this was awkward. It disrupted the sensory submersion that usually occurs when I read a novel, and because of this, I felt increasingly disconnected from the story and from the characters. Perhaps this was what Murakami intended, considering the way Eri Asai remains hopelessly disconnected from her life -- and even reality.
The book got two stars because I enjoyed the premise of the novel, and I thought that there were brief flashes of insight that bordered on profundity. Unfortunately, the novel was either too short or too abstract -- or both -- for me to really get a clear understanding of what Murakami was trying to say. Nothing really happened, and few of the characters, if any, changed dynamically throughout the course of the novel.
'After Dark' didn't put me off of Murakami entirely, but I probably won't tackle another book of his for at least a few months.