The Situation: When unassuming and somewhat serious 19 year-old Mari is reading alone at at Denny's, she is recognized by the awkward, lanky, but earnest Takahashi. The two of them once hung out at a pool together years ago, along with Mari's sister and her then boyfriend. It is just before midnight, and the two strike up a conversation while Takahashi eats, before he heads out to band practice. The encounter seems mundane enough...the two of them catch up, though they did not really know each other well enough to have much to catch up on. Other than Mari's sister and that one day they spent at the pool together, the two of them do not have a lot of common ground. But Mari and Takahashi will see each other a few more times before the night is over, as their stories intertwine without a few others in the city.
The Problem: After Takahashi leaves and Mari spends a little more time reading at the diner, she is sought out by the manager of a nearby hotel, Kaoru. She learned from Takahashi that Mari knows Chinese. Turns out there is a young Chinese girl in trouble, and Kaoru needs Mari to help translate. This unusual situation gives Mari a few other places to spend her time as she waits for daylight, as well as a few more opportunities to meet and talk with Takahashi, whom she eventually feels comfortable enough with to reveal a secret about her sister, Eri. On the surface, it seems that Eri is simply asleep in her own bed, but it is slowly revealed that something somewhat strange, maybe even sinister, is going on.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction, set in modern-day Tokyo in the middle of night. Each chapter and section is time stamped, with the book starting at 11:56pm, and ending around 6:52am. The narrator often addresses the reader directly, and sometimes describes the viewpoint as being a camera that moves around rooms, throughout the city, and even through television screens to get to the image on the other side. This brings me to the other common themes found in Murakami's works, and using a Google image of a 'Murakami Bingo' card as reference, players would be able to blot out mysterious woman, something vanishing, cats, old jazz record, parallel worlds, and Tokyo at night. And instead of simply following one character, the reader gets to follow and check-in with several characters as the night progresses.
My Verdict: This is certainly one of my favorite of Murakami's books that I have read in recent years. While I am sure it has its own loyal following, I do not think it is as beloved as maybe Norwegian Wood, or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. As the book is on the shorter side (not quite reaching 250 pages), I recommend anyone making their way through Murakami's works to pick it up and not skip it. It is intriguing, it is haunting in places, and it is a story I will not easily forget, and I cannot say the same for every Murakami novel that I have read. This one was accessible in a way that is hard to explain. It still contained many of the elements the can make Murakami's novels seem like something just outside of our reality, but I had the sense I could access it if I really wanted to.
Favorite Moment: There is a moment where Kaoru, the hotel manager, holds her ground against a member of the Chinese mafia.
Favorite Character: Korogi works at the hotel that Kaoru manages, and there is only one chapter in which the reader has a chance to get to know her and her story. But she is encouraging and helpful to Mari in a way, but also someone with her own issues and life to work out.
Recommended Reading: I still say my favorite of all of Murakami's works is A Wild Sheep Chase, but a better follow-up for After Dark may be Norwegian Wood.
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