After Dark (Vintage International) by Haruki Murakami Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of After Dark (Vintage International)
Book Review: A neat introduction to Murakami if you can't handle the longer ones!
Summary: 5 Stars
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!Book Review: A beautiful observation of a city at night
Summary: 5 Stars
Another brilliant novel by the master of the surreal in every day life. You could say that "After dark" is some kind of concept novel. The point of view is mainly the view of a camera, observing a city at night, zooming in one a few chosen characters centered around Mari, her sleeping sister Eri and Takahashi - a guy who used to be in the same class as Eri. The love hotel Alphaville also plays an important part this particular night. At one stage the author takes us to a room in a parallel reality that I don't find particularly satisfying, but having that surreal element is necessary to keep the reader engaged. My interpretation is that you enter some kind of dream.
The best thing about the book is that there's no real plot. It's just an observation from midnight to dawn. There are no conclusions or resolutions. But for young Mari it's a very eventful night which makes the book a coming of age story.
It's so beautifully written it makes me want to read it again. The dialogue between Mari and Takahashi is fantastic. Not much is said, but what is said makes it more important. It feels like you're inside Mari's world even if the author hasn't written what she feels and thinks. It's all conveyed through dialogue and atmosphere. In the course of the night a crime is committed, but it doesn't matter that we won't find out what happens after. It's enough to observe the involved characters and draw your own conclusions.
Book Review: Murakami in fine form
Summary: 4 Stars
After Dark is a fine novel by Japanese author Murakami. In his typical style, the book takes two different narratives and as the book progresses starts to weave them together. The first fault of the book is that it is a bit too familiar, Murakami is presenting ideas and styles that anyone who has read his other works quickly will recognise. The book is still fine, with some very interesting characters and a neat ending.
The book meanders a bit around at times, not driving the narrative forward in the same exemplary pace as some of his other books did. The atmosphere works well but is not imposing enough, particularly when considering that it is set during night time, a perfect opportunity for creating harrowing atmosphere, something Murakami has done before, but doesn't achieve here.
It is a bit on the short side, but in the end, the book doesn't really have that much to say. It isn't well enough presented as a character study, not at least on the same level as some of his other works. Still, the book is moody, at times edgy, and doesn't fail in keeping the reader to continue reading. Maybe not his best, but still a novel worth reading, it continues to present Murakami's simplistic and accessible writing style which still remains very potent.
Book Review: Five Spot After Dark
Summary: 4 Stars
"After Dark" was first published in Japan in 2004, and was translated into English by Jay Rubin in 2008.
The book opens up in an `amusement district'- an area dedicated to gaming centres, karaoke clubs and bars. It's approaching midnight and - while plenty of others are enjoying themselves loudly - Mari Asai is sitting alone in a Denny's Restaurant. She's apparently missed the last train home - almost deliberately, by the looks of things - although she still occasionally glances towards her watch. She doesn't appear to be expecting any company either - she's buried in a book, nursing a coffee and occasionally lighting a cigarette and buried in a book. (Mari lights a lot of cigarettes, but she doesn't do much smoking...they tend to burn themselves out in the ashtray.) However, Mari isn't left alone for long, however - she's joined by a lanky young man called Tetsuya Takahashi. The pair had met a couple of years before at a swimming pool - a friend of Takahashi's was dating Mari's glamourous and beautiful sister, Eri.
Takahashi and Eri had been in class together for a year, but they never spoke - she never gave him the time of day. By the sounds of things, he and Mari didn't speak much on the date either - despite being Japanese, Mari spent most of her time speaking Chinese. The pair communicate a little better this time round, though Takahashi initially won't give his name. However, when he finally leaves for band practice, Takahashi leaves his mobile number and promises to be back around 5am...despite Mari's apparent coolness towards him. Nevertheless, Mari doesn't get left alone for too long - she's soon joined by Koaru, who works at a nearby `love hotel' called the Alphaville. (They tend to be `Big in Japan'). Koaru is obviously an acquaintance of Takahashi's - though she's a little circumspect about how they met. She has a problem, though - there's a Chinese girl at her hotel, "in a mess", and Takahashi has told her that Mari is fluent in Chinese. Koaru wants to find out what happened - but she needs someone who can translate for her...
Meanwhile Eri is at home in a very deep sleep - so deep and pure, it's just not normal. She's in for a very strange night, though - despite being unplugged, her tv comes on at midnight. The picture, when it finally settles, shows a large empty room - most likely, an office or a classroom. There's only one person in the room - a man, sitting on the room's only chair, apparently deep in thought. Where most people would be happy enough to meet a television star, this is one you'd really rather avoid.
The book's events take place over a single night, with Mari and Eri proving to be the two key characters...though I did enjoy Mari's story more. (Takahashi and Koaru proved two very likeable supporting characters - I finished the book hoping that Mari kept in touch with both. However, there are one or two others who aren't quite so agreeable). Eri's story was a little strange, a little like something that might have been used for `The Twilight Zone'. It was a little frustrating that there was no real explanation of what was happening to her, or what man in the television set wanted...but "After Dark" is a short, easily read and enjoyable book overall.
Book Review: Wonderful writing but not enough story?
Summary: 3 Stars
I've only read one other book by Murakami (shame on me?!) and that was The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (possibly the most bizarre book I have ever read, but one that I can still vividly remember over 10 years after reading it). I felt a lot of similarity between After Dark and Wind Up Bird: surreal scenes, strange events and Murakami's unusual approach to writing. After Dark provokes you to ponder the deeper meaning of the events, although I'm not sure I really did get to full understanding!
I really enjoyed the beautiful prose in the book, it does feel rather magical and Murakami has this way of drawing you right into the book. However, I couldn't help feeling disappointed with the story by the time I'd finished it. There wasn't really much of an outcome - or at least not a climax of an ending. It did feel a little pointless by the time I finished although I admired the penmanship greatly. I'm definitely going to look up his most popular books because even with such a strange story, the writing is wonderful.