After Dark

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Category: Novel Grade: B+

I should have known to expect a philosophical novel that isn't quite what it seems to be. Murakami is a very popular Japanese author whose novels have been translated into 38 languages. He recently received the Kafka Prize. On top of that, our friend at the bookstore saw me pick this one up and commented -- "That's a good one of his to start with -- it's short!". So I can't say I wasn't warned.

Anyway, I did end up enjoying the book. It's a little stilted as is pretty common for books written in a foreign language and translated to English. (There is a lot of music mentioned in to the book - I wonder if the translator replaces Japanese jazz titles with American ones for the translation?). The book is about two sisters in Tokyo. Mari, the one we meet first in the middle of the night in a Denny's, is the focal point of the realistic part of the novel. Her sister, Eri, on the other hand, has been asleep for the last two months and we see her, in her sleep, moving between her bedroom and another room reflected in the TV in her room. Nothing much really happens, but it's actually kind of cool the way Murakami weaves what's essential a magical realist novel. Not sure I know what he was trying to say, but he said it really well.