After Dark
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Product Description
Observer, Olivia Laing
`this is among Murakami's most affecting novels'
The Scotsman, Rev'd Catherine Shoard
`Fans of Murakami will be pleased to re-encounter his trademark obsessions with jazz, cats and earlobes.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"It's not as if our lives are divided simply into light and dark. There's a shadowy middle ground. Recognising and understanding the shadows is what a healthy intelligence does. And to acquire a healthy intelligence takes a certain amount of time and effort."
2007 has been a good year for short novels. Ian McEwen returned to form with `On Chesil Beach,' his best work for years and I was desperately excited to get my hands on the long awaited return of Haruki Murakami with his latest novel, `After Dark'. After all, Murakami, like McEwan is one of the leading short story writers in the world and `Sputnik Sweetheart' remains his finest work to date.
The first thing to say is that this is a very short novel. At just 201 pages it took me barely 4 hours and I am not a fast reader. Some may say this is not value for money but does quantity really equal quality? This, like everything Murakami writes, is worth every penny you spend on it.
The story is that of Tokyo after darkness, when the sun goes down and the lights go on. It is the perfect setting for a Murakami novel: jazz records play leisurely in the background of late night bars, the streets are deserted and his usual ensemble of well meaning loaners in search of themselves have deep, revelatory conversations which unwind slowly over a cup of coffee and a cigarette. `After Dark' is like the distilled essence of everything Murakami has ever written.
Mari, a nineteen year old girl, is sitting alone in a coffee bar reading a thick novel and waiting for the night to pass. Takahashi is savouring his bands last all-night rehearsal and has stopped in for some coffee. It is almost midnight. Back at home, Eri Asai (Mari's sister) has been asleep for two months, a sleeping beauty. As we watch the strange events of the dense night unfold it is as if the night has been personified, and the people are just encroaching on its time. Revelation and transition is in the air, it is `After Dark' and the possibilities are endless.
The atmosphere lurks somewhere between awake and asleep, we feel the neon signs lighting up the darkness and smell the hazy smoke of insomnia in the gaps between the words. Murakami is incapable of writing a dull story and `After Dark' is no different. It may not be his best ever work, but once you pick this book up and feel the darkness enshroud you like a blanket you will not dare put it down until the morning has arrived and there is nothing to do but wait for night to return.
2007 has been a good year for short novels. Ian McEwen returned to form with `On Chesil Beach,' his best work for years and I was desperately excited to get my hands on the long awaited return of Haruki Murakami with his latest novel, `After Dark'. After all, Murakami, like McEwan is one of the leading short story writers in the world and `Sputnik Sweetheart' remains his finest work to date.
The first thing to say is that this is a very short novel. At just 201 pages it took me barely 4 hours and I am not a fast reader. Some may say this is not value for money but does quantity really equal quality? This, like everything Murakami writes, is worth every penny you spend on it.
The story is that of Tokyo after darkness, when the sun goes down and the lights go on. It is the perfect setting for a Murakami novel: jazz records play leisurely in the background of late night bars, the streets are deserted and his usual ensemble of well meaning loaners in search of themselves have deep, revelatory conversations which unwind slowly over a cup of coffee and a cigarette. `After Dark' is like the distilled essence of everything Murakami has ever written.
Mari, a nineteen year old girl, is sitting alone in a coffee bar reading a thick novel and waiting for the night to pass. Takahashi is savouring his bands last all-night rehearsal and has stopped in for some coffee. It is almost midnight. Back at home, Eri Asai (Mari's sister) has been asleep for two months, a sleeping beauty. As we watch the strange events of the dense night unfold it is as if the night has been personified, and the people are just encroaching on its time. Revelation and transition is in the air, it is `After Dark' and the possibilities are endless.
The atmosphere lurks somewhere between awake and asleep, we feel the neon signs lighting up the darkness and smell the hazy smoke of insomnia in the gaps between the words. Murakami is incapable of writing a dull story and `After Dark' is no different. It may not be his best ever work, but once you pick this book up and feel the darkness enshroud you like a blanket you will not dare put it down until the morning has arrived and there is nothing to do but wait for night to return.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Have you ever sat one day, on your own, and wondered...."Is someone else, somwhere far, miles away, across the world, doing the same as me?" or "I wonder what someone 3000 miles away, who I don't know, is doing at this very moment in time"?
Well...I have on many occaisions...and while I will never actually know the answer, "After Dark" by Haruki Murakami gave me at least one potential answer to my question.
Murakami describes in very much detail about the goings on in Tokyo, after the last train has gone, by focussing on one central character, Mari Esai, and her journey throughout the night as she encounters some bizarre situations and even more bizarre people!
The plot also focusses on several other protagonists, giving very much depth to this story, whereby not just Mari's nightlife is documented, but also that of an office worker, a love hotel manager, a prostitute, and also a young chicken salad-loving musician.
Not being one myself to stay up all night, either at home or in an all-night cafe in a big city, this story gave a definitely interesting insight into what the other side of the night, for those who stay awake, entails...........
Well...I have on many occaisions...and while I will never actually know the answer, "After Dark" by Haruki Murakami gave me at least one potential answer to my question.
Murakami describes in very much detail about the goings on in Tokyo, after the last train has gone, by focussing on one central character, Mari Esai, and her journey throughout the night as she encounters some bizarre situations and even more bizarre people!
The plot also focusses on several other protagonists, giving very much depth to this story, whereby not just Mari's nightlife is documented, but also that of an office worker, a love hotel manager, a prostitute, and also a young chicken salad-loving musician.
Not being one myself to stay up all night, either at home or in an all-night cafe in a big city, this story gave a definitely interesting insight into what the other side of the night, for those who stay awake, entails...........
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a nice and easy Murakami book to read which has all the normal components of his writing but crammed in to an easy story to read. Kafka on the Shore and the Wind UP Bird are both really long, rambling books - brilliant, but you need to be a keen reader if one of those is going to be your first taste of Murakami. After Dark is a perfect introduction to his books though, so give it a go!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
enigmatic dreams
It is hard to say why this is so captivating, but believe me it is. Focusing around the events of one night with a small group of linked but largely unrelated characters, After... Read more
Published 4 months ago by markr
Skilful prose and scrupulously crafted atmospheric scenes
After Dark is a novel set within a seven hour period, commencing a few minutes before the strike of midnight. Read more
Published 5 months ago by David Briddock
More like a screenplay than a novel
My second experiment with Murakami and although After Dark is a short book that is easy to read it is also rather slender fare. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Philoctetes
Not quite as good as his other works.
This doesn't reach the heights of Norwegian Wood (think I've started at the top and I'm working my way down at the moment) this just doesn't have the same sort of impact. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mike Andrew Dawson
a journey into the night
Having read several of Murakami's offerings and finding them somewhat similar in many respects, I approached this one with little expectations. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. Robert Marsland
For certain kinds of people
Having spoken to other fans of Murakami, I've gained the impression that many readers see this as one of Murakami's less engaging books, chiefly because, according to these... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Hong Huar
Wonderfully unique
I seem to be very good at the moment at choosing novels that are very difficult to write a proper review for, and this is definitely one of them. Read more
Published 12 months ago by D. Cotton
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
I have read all of Murakami's novels and despite being a huge fan of his I have to admit that I was very unpleased with this book. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Andy72
dare i say it
Third Murakami book I've read and quite disappointed. The book is too short and too busy to allow the reader to become involved. Read more
Published 19 months ago by bubba
Was This Even Murakami?
My third Murakami novel was fortunately from the library. The concept of this book was welcomed, but the execution lacked any substance that I require from a novel. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by J. Davies
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