Overview
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).
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.
Details
- ISBN-13: 9780307278739
- ISBN-10: 0307278735
- Publisher: Vintage
- Publish Date: April 2008
- Dimensions: 8.02 x 5.18 x 0.76 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.56 pounds
- Page Count: 256
BookPage® Reviews
After Dark
Murakami delivers another provocative, mind-bending book with his 12th piece of fiction. Set in Tokyo, the narrative unfolds over the course of seven hours, starting at midnight and ending around sun-up. At the core of the novel are two sisters: Eri, a beautiful model who sleeps all day, and Mari, a college student who tends to stay up all night. Hanging out at Denny's, nursing a cup of coffee, Mari connects with a diverse cast of characters over the course of the book. There's Tetsuya, a would-be jazz trombonist, who was once romantically involved with Eri, and Kaoru, a big-hearted woman who runs a love hotel. When one of her clients—a young Chinese woman—gets beaten up at the hotel, Kaoru enlists the aid of Mari, who speaks Chinese and can communicate with the injured woman. Mari obliges, becoming acquainted with various hotel workers in the process. And so the long night unfolds. Part of the narrative is devoted to the sleeping Eri's dreams—strange encounters in a foreboding, alternate world. Featuring Murakami's storytelling trademarks, including fantastical turns of magical realism and strange twists of fate, this surreal tale examines human alienation and the attempts we all make to counter it. Another gem from one of the masters of contemporary fiction, this haunting book should satisfy Murakami's many followers.
