After Dark (Vintage International)
From the New York Times bestselling author—a gripping novel of late night encounters that’s “hypnotically eerie, sometimes even funny, but most of all … [a book] that keeps ratcheting up the suspense” (The Washington Post Book World).
Now with a new introduction by the author.
Nineteen-year-old Mari is waiting out the night in an anonymous Denny’s when she meets a young man who insists he knows her older sister, thus setting her on an odyssey through the sleeping city. In the space of a single night, the lives of a diverse cast of Tokyo residents—models, prostitutes, mobsters, and musicians—collide in a world suspended between fantasy and reality. Utterly enchanting and infused with surrealism, After Dark is a thrilling account of the magical hours separating midnight from dawn.
Now with a new introduction by the author.
Nineteen-year-old Mari is waiting out the night in an anonymous Denny’s when she meets a young man who insists he knows her older sister, thus setting her on an odyssey through the sleeping city. In the space of a single night, the lives of a diverse cast of Tokyo residents—models, prostitutes, mobsters, and musicians—collide in a world suspended between fantasy and reality. Utterly enchanting and infused with surrealism, After Dark is a thrilling account of the magical hours separating midnight from dawn.
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Community Reviews
Murakami's work is always slippery, moving easily in and out of reality and conciousness. This textural view of one night in Tokyo is no different. The point of view moves deftly from a room where Eri is sleeping and being watched by someone on her tv, and the events around Mari, her sister, who is out in the night. Several complicated storylines are introduced, none resolved and yet they don't seem to be the real purpose of the book. Its purpose seems to be the examination of reality and identity. Murakami plays with perspective taking even more explicitly than usual in this work, and his ongoing exploration of media recurs especially in the interaction of the sleeping Eri with the tv. Interesting, yet somehow completely pointless too.
Narrator was quite good on this audiobook.
Narrator was quite good on this audiobook.
I was trying to prepare for our trip to Japan... haha... maybe this isn't going to cover it.
The novel is written from a cinematic perspective, but it might be worth noting that the Japanese language itself takes a big view first and then zooms in the way the scenes begin. For example, to say where I'm from I might say I'm from United States, New York, and then say my town. I think that makes more sense then the way we do it in English or Spanish.
It reminds me a lot of the movies Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset in that it's mostly conversation between two characters and it takes place in one night. Even the name sort of reminds me of those movies- After Dark. But "dark" might refer to the sordid background tale of the night, or the feelings the characters are dragging around. The examination of depression in Japan (where historically they did not have a concept of depression) is particularly interesting.
The novel is written from a cinematic perspective, but it might be worth noting that the Japanese language itself takes a big view first and then zooms in the way the scenes begin. For example, to say where I'm from I might say I'm from United States, New York, and then say my town. I think that makes more sense then the way we do it in English or Spanish.
It reminds me a lot of the movies Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset in that it's mostly conversation between two characters and it takes place in one night. Even the name sort of reminds me of those movies- After Dark. But "dark" might refer to the sordid background tale of the night, or the feelings the characters are dragging around. The examination of depression in Japan (where historically they did not have a concept of depression) is particularly interesting.
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