All The Lovers In The Night from the International Booker Prize shortlisted trailblazer of Japanese Fiction

Isolation, Light, and the Weight of Silence

frau.meln aus Erfurt am 04.03.2025
Bewertungsnummer: 2429005
Bewertet: Buch (Taschenbuch)

I picked up All the Lovers in the Night last year in New York, shortly after discovering my appreciation for Japanese authors. Mieko Kawakami is no exception—her writing style immediately drew me in. She has a way of focusing on details without over-explaining, creating an atmosphere that feels quiet yet deeply immersive. One of the most striking aspects of this novel is how unapproachable the main character, Fuyuko, seems. She almost feels like a blank page —lacking opinions, hobbies, or defining characteristics. This absence makes the story feel incredibly heavy, as if we’re trudging through her isolation with her. The dialogues with Mitsutsuka, rather than offering relief, only deepened this weight. Also I was disappointed that his letter wasn’t included in full, because it felt like a missing piece that could have added more emotional depth. The lightest moments of the novel were, without a doubt, the interactions between Fuyuko and Hijiri. I really liked Hijiri as a character. She exuded confidence and had a presence that which literally filled the room. While she’s undoubtedly a tough person who sometimes oversteps boundaries, her dynamic with Fuyuko added much needed energy to the narrative. That said, I’m still unsure whether this book had a central message or if it was more about sharing a collection of small, well thought ones. Either way, All the Lovers in the Night will stay with me for a while. Even though it had its slow moments, I truly enjoyed reading it.

Schöne Geschichte

Elmo am 17.12.2024
Bewertungsnummer: 2366525
Bewertet: Buch (Taschenbuch)

Es ist zwar schon eine Weile her, als ich das Buch gelesen habe. Trotzdem muss ich sagen, dass es ein wirklich schönes ist. Die Story an sich lässt sich für mich als melancholisch bezeichnen. Eine Frau die sich in einen Mann der viel älter als sie ist verliebt, am Ende jedoch enttäuscht wird. Auch wenn es sich klischeehaft anhört, das ist es definitiv nicht. Ebenfalls das Ende war ein Recht erfüllendes, auch wenn es sich nicht so anhört. Sehr schön geschrieben und gar nicht lang, also definitiv empfehlenswert :)