Reviews with content warning for Sexism - All the Lovers in the Night

My first Kawakami! The story reminded me a bit of Murakami: beautiful descriptions of scenes, interesting philosophical questions, and a protagonist who is very passive. It was refreshing to have a female protagonist though, and I liked the commentary on feminism presented through Fuyuko’s interactions with and about Hijiri.

Spoiler

Fuyuko and Hijiri initially had a bit of a romantic connection, and I would’ve loved to see that fleshed out. I was a little disturbed by the final argument between Fuyuko and Hijiri and how they became friends from that, and the age gap between Fuyuko and Matsutsuka creeped me out. I was also pleased to see Fuyuko’s growth at the end, but it felt rushed, especially with the time skip that we didn’t get to see.

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kianga_black's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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sophtanda's review

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A reflective book, on a woman who's reached her 30s, and realises she's not fully happy with her life, as she feels she's fallen into everything she's done.

Spoiler

As her birthday approaches, she decides to try new things, such as going out with her colleague and only contacting on her phone, before eventually attempting to join a class at a university. In her attempt to apply, she meets someone who might just trigger the change she needs in her life.

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jessbasuthakur's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Simply, a book that achieved what it set out to do, but nonetheless a bit of a slog to read. However, I will read more Kawakami books.

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

The thing about an author's first translated novel being her best one is it sets the bar high for all her subsequent translated works, and they might not wholly live up to it.

Such is the case here with All the Lovers in the Night, whose story of a thirty-something woman with a solitary job in Tokyo bears similarities to Breasts and Eggs, but - published in its original Japanese nearly a decade before the latter - is less successful in terms of story and emotional beats, though I still like it.

I enjoy the novel's exploration of its themes - the transient and obfuscating nature of time, memories, and acts of remembering and recollection - and the gradual growth of the protagonist Irie. However, I can hardly remember the story - what takes place between the crucial scenes and plot points - for it seems static a lot of the time, with similar occurrings replaying in several loops.

There is nothing wrong with a novel that does not focus on plot, but what substitutes for that - be it inner monologue, rumination, characterization - should be effective, and in this case I do not find Irie's reflections to be effective enough. The book also needs more proofreading and copyediting, as there are still some missing words and grammatical errors.

Nevertheless, I do enjoy watching the character grow as she tentatively learns to bask in the night and, step by step, revel in all its lights.

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