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A review by basilove
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I thought this was going to be about Fuyuko healing in one way or another. Turns out it’s dessert plate of pain on a tiny bow
(full review to come probably)
110724 update : changed my rating from 4 stars to 3, but I still really enjoyed this book and would consider rereading it in the future.
I think the main thing about this book (for me) is that it felt very lifelike. The characters felt alive and real, which is probably why a lot of the book felt mundane, but not in a bad way; it was clear that that was part of it, it’s supposed to feel mundane because if you’re a freelance proofreader who only really has one friend to talk to, your life is bound to be mundane especially when you don’t make plans.
I think this might be a boring or insufferable read for many people because of this specific aspect but it’s something I appreciated about this book. The title is really pretty, and honestly this book captures how it ACTUALLY feels like to fall in love. How your mind makes it feel like this big thing when nothing is actually happening, and how just because you have these immense feelings for another person doesn’t mean it’ll lead to anything more. Sometimes something big happens, and then life goes on. This book did well on communicating that.
Not to mention even the flaws of everyone in this book felt very human, relatable and alive. They were all very human flaws, and even Mitsutsuka was terribly human in the end, down to even his appearance.
TDLR; this book is raw. And I like that about it so much.
(full review to come probably)
110724 update : changed my rating from 4 stars to 3, but I still really enjoyed this book and would consider rereading it in the future.
I think the main thing about this book (for me) is that it felt very lifelike. The characters felt alive and real, which is probably why a lot of the book felt mundane, but not in a bad way; it was clear that that was part of it, it’s supposed to feel mundane because if you’re a freelance proofreader who only really has one friend to talk to, your life is bound to be mundane especially when you don’t make plans.
I think this might be a boring or insufferable read for many people because of this specific aspect but it’s something I appreciated about this book. The title is really pretty, and honestly this book captures how it ACTUALLY feels like to fall in love. How your mind makes it feel like this big thing when nothing is actually happening, and how just because you have these immense feelings for another person doesn’t mean it’ll lead to anything more. Sometimes something big happens, and then life goes on. This book did well on communicating that.
Not to mention even the flaws of everyone in this book felt very human, relatable and alive. They were all very human flaws, and even Mitsutsuka was terribly human in the end, down to even his appearance.
TDLR; this book is raw. And I like that about it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism