After Dark

by Haruki Murakami

“I’ll bet they think they can leave you alone because you’ve really got it together.” Mari does not respond to this remark. “But maybe sometimes you don’t really have it together,” Kaoru says.

The ground we stand on looks solid enough, but if something happens it can drop right out from under you. And once that happens, you’ve had it: things’ll never be the same.

In this world, there are things you can only do alone, and things you can only do with somebody else. It’s important to combine the two in just the right amount.”

“It’s not as if our lives are divided simply into light and dark. There’s a shadowy middle ground. Recognizing and understanding the shadows is what a healthy intelligence does. And to acquire a healthy intelligence takes a certain amount of time and effort.