Tony's review

Tony's review

After Dark (Vintage International) After Dark (Vintage International)
by Haruki Murakami

1028815 Tony's review
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bookshelves: awesome-books, books-that-scared-me

Haruki Murakami explores that special time of day between midnight and morning. He does so with a nice flow of descriptive prose and dialogue that makes you feel like you haven't slept for a day.

The book revolves around a girl who's hanging out in the city at night because she can't sleep, a man who beats a prostitute and steals her belongings, and the girl's sleeping sister in a nearby suburb. All these storylines intertwine in a sense, but also hold up on their own. The chapters are laid out on a timeline and the events coincide with each time.

The story is a bit lacking (almost non-existent really), but once you realize this book isn't about telling a story, you'll really enjoy it. Instead, look at it as a document the late night hours that most people only see in a dreamlike state.

It's very creepy in some parts. I read the majority of this around one in the morning on my porch and felt a eerie feeling during one particular chapter involving the main girl's sleeping ...more

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message 1: by Erin
05/14/2008 08:29AM

1028303 Wow--a book that we've both read! I actually listened to the unabridged cdbook. To me, it was as you say, a document, a series of snapshots of late night hours that could have been set in many places. It's triumph was catching and distilling the essence of the modern night.

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