Product Description

A sleek, gripping novel of encounters set in Tokyo during the spooky hours between midnight and dawn, by an internationally renowned literary phenomenon.

Murakami's trademark humor, psychological insight, and grasp of spirit and morality are here distilled with an extraordinary, harmonious mastery. Combining the pyrotechnical genius that made Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle international bestsellers, with a surprising infusion of heart, Murakami has produced one of his most enchanting fictions yet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4778 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-29
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Murakami's 12th work of fiction is darkly entertaining and more novella than novel. Taking place over seven hours of a Tokyo night, it intercuts three loosely related stories, linked by Murakami's signature magical-realist absurd coincidences. When amateur trombonist and soon-to-be law student Tetsuya Takahashi walks into a late-night Denny's, he espies Mari Asai, 19, sitting by herself, and proceeds to talk himself back into her acquaintance. Tetsuya was once interested in plain Mari's gorgeous older sister, Eri, whom he courted, sort of, two summers previously. Murakami then cuts to Eri, asleep in what turns out to be some sort of menacing netherworld. Tetsuya leaves for overnight band practice, but soon a large, 30ish woman, Kaoru, comes into Denny's asking for Mari: Mari speaks Chinese, and Kaoru needs to speak to the Chinese prostitute who has just been badly beaten up in the nearby "love hotel" Kaoru manages. Murakami's omniscient looks at the lives of the sleeping Eri and the prostitute's assailant, a salaryman named Shirakawa, are sheer padding, but the probing, wonderfully improvisational dialogues Mari has with Tetsuya, Kaoru and a hotel worker named Korogi sustain the book until the ambiguous, mostly upbeat dénouement. (May)
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From Bookmarks Magazine
Other than an unexpected cheerfulness, After Dark is classic Haruki Murakami, featuring themes of loneliness and alienation, carefully crafted characters, Western references (such as an all-night Denny's where Hall & Oates plays in the background), and distinctive magical-realist twists of fate. Critics also praised the impassive, omniscient narration, like a constantly shifting video camera, which renders each scene in magnificent detail. The chief complaint was the brevity of the novel, and the Los Angeles Times felt that Eri's dreamlike scenes missed the mark as well. "For the unfamiliar, it's the perfect appetizer. For the established fan, it's a quick work that is over far too soon" (Denver Post).

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From AudioFile
In a stroke of genius, Murakamis latest novel places listeners behind the lens of a camera and proceeds to describe what they are looking at. On the page, this is a finely crafted experimental novel; it also works especially well in the audio format. Janet Song reads to perfection, her voice shifting its tone slightly as she focuses on one character, then another. She seamlessly captures both Chinese and Japanese accents. The short novel itself, focusing on the lives of a few people as they struggle to exist between midnight and dawn in a seedy Tokyo neighborhood, might at first seem trivial. It is not. Perfectly paced, it slowly reveals more and more about these complicated lives. Were not only interested--were mesmerized. R.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The plot was a little boring
The book looked interesting, but when I began to read it, I became bored with it. I found there wasn't really any plot. It was just a bunch of conversations composed into one book. It certainly wasn't worth what I paid for it.

another page turner but v .weak in plot & character
Nothing new in this one. Sleeping beauty Eri is an OK symbol for Japan, and the equally pretty but poor and abused Chinese hooker does an equivalent job for her nation I suppose. I prefer the treatment of the Japan-China issue in his masterpiece Wind-Up Bird, of course, and the memory of characters like lieutenant Mamiya or Yumiyoshi makes the ones of this novel seem too thin. Pages turn fast as usual with M., but this time a lot less startingly. Very good job of the night hours as a plot device (a la Jarmusch's Night on Earth) and really great that Jay Rubin is back as translator, after less fortunate attempts by others. Still, two stars only for such an obvious quickie. Please M.H. don't become a brand; stay a real writer.

A Quiet, Simple Late Night Read
Sure, it's not quite The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Kafka on the Shore, but it's still a simple, engaging read. I read it mostly on the train, coming home from work late at night, and the novel works well in that setting: it is, as some reviewers have already noted, like a quiet late-night jazz album, like Miles Davis. I agree with the reviewer who said it ought to be read in one sitting, during a long sleepless night.

I can see why some readers could not get into it, but I hope those who've said, "This was my first Murakami book and it will be my last" will give his other works a chance. Starting with this would be like watching Fire Walk With Me when you haven't seen Twin Peaks.