A review by stavoosh
After Dark by Haruki Murakami

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Okay, so I picked this up knowing absolutely nothing about it except that Murakami's work is highly regarded. Maybe that is why it felt boring to me (perhaps my imagination is just a bit over-the-top). It's a short read, yet I felt bored for most of it the characters are just sitting and talking. This, however, made way for lots of philosophical ideas to arise in the ordinariness and rawness of a life in the city. The book discusses difficult subject matter in a simplified matter and investigates existential questions that we all have. I enjoyed the way I had to digest every word, but I would've liked a bit more action. I would've loved if the surrealism was more intwined in the story besides the one character. I think it was a good introduction to his work and I look forward to another read.

Basically, after finishing the book and actually reading the summary, I feel like the book sounds extremely interesting rather than the quite interesting it is.
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