mexicanfood8's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
bookworm_42's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
asclepeion's review against another edition
3.75
no one writes ultimately connected character perspectives like murakami does
segza's review
3.0
Didn’t love the story but will give full credit for how well it was described. Images are still with me 3+ months later
lookafteryourbet's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
septimusmith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
mbahnaf's review against another edition
2.0
“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.”
I usually tend to like Murakami's writing, so writing a two-star review feels strange. After Dark chronicles the events of one fateful night in Tokyo, exploring the night-life in the quiet shady areas of the city. The writing has the usual Murakami surrealistic imagery and there is a strange eerie suspense maintained throughout. Unfortunately, that is about all the credit you can give this book, for the writing and the subsequent scenes appear shallow and full of tropes. We have the "abused sex-worker", "hooker with a heart of gold" and the most over-used "woman running from her past". At this point, the book starts sounding like a regular Hollywood indie flick (Leaving Las Vegas, anyone?).
That said, the book is a breezy read, relatively short in length and full of Murakami-esque quietisms. I didn't really like it. However, it isn't a criminally bad book. Just not my type.
Notable references
The book makes multiple references to pop-culture of the past. Alphaville, Blade Runner and Love Story are among some of the films mentioned in the book. The story also has the usual classic Murakami soundtrack. The novel gets its name from Curtis Fuller's Five Spot After Dark from the Blues-ette album. Some other notable tracks mentioned in the book:
[ Pet Shop Boys - Jealousy ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chq885RKXAI
[ Hall and Oates - I Can't Go For That ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccenFp_3kq8
[ Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8LLfFY9pQg
I usually tend to like Murakami's writing, so writing a two-star review feels strange. After Dark chronicles the events of one fateful night in Tokyo, exploring the night-life in the quiet shady areas of the city. The writing has the usual Murakami surrealistic imagery and there is a strange eerie suspense maintained throughout. Unfortunately, that is about all the credit you can give this book, for the writing and the subsequent scenes appear shallow and full of tropes. We have the "abused sex-worker", "hooker with a heart of gold" and the most over-used "woman running from her past". At this point, the book starts sounding like a regular Hollywood indie flick (Leaving Las Vegas, anyone?).
That said, the book is a breezy read, relatively short in length and full of Murakami-esque quietisms. I didn't really like it. However, it isn't a criminally bad book. Just not my type.
Notable references
The book makes multiple references to pop-culture of the past. Alphaville, Blade Runner and Love Story are among some of the films mentioned in the book. The story also has the usual classic Murakami soundtrack. The novel gets its name from Curtis Fuller's Five Spot After Dark from the Blues-ette album. Some other notable tracks mentioned in the book:
[ Pet Shop Boys - Jealousy ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chq885RKXAI
[ Hall and Oates - I Can't Go For That ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccenFp_3kq8
[ Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8LLfFY9pQg
kvoepp's review
4.0
first murakami work down. really enjoyed the writing and found all the characters to be interesting. heard someone once describe reading murakami as like "chasing the vibes" and i fully agree. people are right, when you finish a murakami, you just want to read another and another.