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A review by literatureaesthetic
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mieko kawakami invented sad girl hours
‘all the lovers in the night’ is a thoughtful “no plot, just vibes” contemporary about a woman who is struggling with repressed trauma that has unconsciously shaped her entire life, her career, her relationships, and the way she moves in the world. it is a simple story with unadorned writing. a novel that shines the most in its quiet moments. small emotions that no one talks about, tender conversations and musings on the mundanity of life, in its awkward silences and the character’s clumsy encounters. in its portrait of humanity and femininity.
it took me a while to get into (which isn’t the best sign considering it’s so short it’s almost a novella), but once this story sank its claws into me, it would not let go. kawakmi always manages to write characters that resonate so deeply (despite how unlike me they are in terms of personality or experiences). which speaks to what mieko kawakami excels at best, in my opinion: connecting women. by disassembling the world in which women occupy and exploring the many ways women mesh, clash, and move around one another, mieko kawakami’s work is always filled with veery subtle and finely-planted seeds of thought regarding feminine ideals and existence.
kawakami’s novel is brutally honest in its appraisal of the harm women inflict on one another, while never losing sight of the larger systems of power that lead them to do so in the first place. overall, ‘all the lovers’ is not my favourite kawakami release, but it is still definitely worth your attention <3
‘all the lovers in the night’ is a thoughtful “no plot, just vibes” contemporary about a woman who is struggling with repressed trauma that has unconsciously shaped her entire life, her career, her relationships, and the way she moves in the world. it is a simple story with unadorned writing. a novel that shines the most in its quiet moments. small emotions that no one talks about, tender conversations and musings on the mundanity of life, in its awkward silences and the character’s clumsy encounters. in its portrait of humanity and femininity.
it took me a while to get into (which isn’t the best sign considering it’s so short it’s almost a novella), but once this story sank its claws into me, it would not let go. kawakmi always manages to write characters that resonate so deeply (despite how unlike me they are in terms of personality or experiences). which speaks to what mieko kawakami excels at best, in my opinion: connecting women. by disassembling the world in which women occupy and exploring the many ways women mesh, clash, and move around one another, mieko kawakami’s work is always filled with veery subtle and finely-planted seeds of thought regarding feminine ideals and existence.
kawakami’s novel is brutally honest in its appraisal of the harm women inflict on one another, while never losing sight of the larger systems of power that lead them to do so in the first place. overall, ‘all the lovers’ is not my favourite kawakami release, but it is still definitely worth your attention <3