After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Book Review: After Dark by Haruki Murakami

9/10

Themes and Style

After Dark explores isolation, connection, and duality. The night blurs reality and dreams, with Mari seeking companionship while Eri remains enigmatic and passive. Both sisters share an underlying loneliness. Murakami’s sparse, evocative prose merges realism with magic, creating a lingering sense of mystery.

Characterization

Mari Asai navigates her fears in the night’s labyrinthine streets, while Eri embodies emotional stagnation in endless sleep. Takahashi offers warmth amid uncertainty, with characters like Kaoru and Shirakawa reflecting Tokyo’s unpredictable nature.

Critical Reception

Critics praise After Dark for its immersive atmosphere and emotional depth. Its concise narrative and open symbolism capture nighttime’s transient essence, inviting reflection despite its ambiguous ending. The novel is a quintessential Murakami exploration of urban solitude and serendipitous connections.

Haruki Murakami’s After Dark unfolds like a haunting dream in Tokyo’s nightscape, where strangers and siblings’ lives intertwine. Plot and Structure The story follows 19-year-old Mari Asai at a Denny’s, interrupted by Takahashi, linked to her sleeping sister Eri. Mari encounters surreal events beneath the city’s surface, helping a Chinese prostitute at a love hotel managed by Kaoru. Meanwhile, Eri is trapped in a mysterious sleep with a presence behind a television screen. The dual narrative blends Mari’s grounded journey with Eri’s ethereal sleep, marked by recurring images.