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sas_lk's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"You know what I think? That people's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive."
This was a love letter to the night. This touched a specific place in my heart that I have rarely truly shared with others. This was a story about love, about sisterly love, and simply about life. About the peace one can find in the darker hours when everything feels like it's crashing down.
This was a love letter to the night. This touched a specific place in my heart that I have rarely truly shared with others. This was a story about love, about sisterly love, and simply about life. About the peace one can find in the darker hours when everything feels like it's crashing down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Blood
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Trafficking
aniston_pond's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Sexual violence
jessi_c's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoy how the narration breaks the fourth wall, inviting us to float around the city. Had just the right touch of intrusiveness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, and Violence
mewpasaurus's review
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Haruki Murakami has this way of writing his books in which you know the ending will probably either be a non-ending or somehow unsatisfactory, but yet we, as readers, are okay with that. After Dark is no different; the characters are neither protagonists or antagonists, they merely exist in a world that swirls around them and continues whether they do or don't participate. His books are interesting in that way; the characters are just dressing to the atmosphere or story he's trying to convey, not particularly main characters.
After Dark really focuses on the passage of time and how the city the characters move and operate during the quiet hours of deep night/early morning. There are good, bad and neutral aspects just as there are good, bad and neutral people that operate in that time span. None of their stories have resolution and they aren't supposed to. After all, it's only the passage of one night in a very busy city.
Overall, I found this enjoyable and enigmatic. It's one of the things I've always enjoyed about Murakami's work.
After Dark really focuses on the passage of time and how the city the characters move and operate during the quiet hours of deep night/early morning. There are good, bad and neutral aspects just as there are good, bad and neutral people that operate in that time span. None of their stories have resolution and they aren't supposed to. After all, it's only the passage of one night in a very busy city.
Overall, I found this enjoyable and enigmatic. It's one of the things I've always enjoyed about Murakami's work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Sexual content
koplomps's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Blood and Physical abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Vomit
gilmargirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, and Cancer
lulsycc's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
eqrvn's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Non Spoiler review - I just finished After Dark by Haruki Murakami after buying it yesterday. It was a quick read, and I did enjoy it, just not enough to rate it higher than 3 stars. For starters, the chapters involving the main character Mari’s sister were boring and hard to follow. At least, until we got insight into her situation—then the chapters about her were more interesting. Still hard to follow, though. My favorite aspect of the book was the dialogue, and there was lots of that. Mari’s exchanges with Tetsuya, Kaoru, etc. were very engaging. The desire to know more about her and her sister, Eri, kept me turning pages as more was revealed through conversation. I had an abundance of annotations characterizing each individual, and most of what I analyzed came from the dialogue. I do have a bit of a bone to pick with Murakami’s relationship with his female characters—for instance, he writes them in horrible, traumatic situations, and yet, both the narrators and the characters only comment on their physical appearances/beauty. Other than that, I have no complaints. This was my first read by Murakami. It wasn’t good enough to inspire a deeper dive into his work, but was concomitant in deterrence. 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
squidsbooks's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction