After Dark by Haruki Muratami

[tonywalt]

I have read the above. Very interesting. What did everyone think of it?

[tonywalt]

Alienation is the central theme of this book for each character. I did not grasp the symbolism of man in the tv(i won't spoil by naming character). What do you all think that feature represents?

Tony

[TheFifthElement]

Alienation is the central theme of this book for each character. I did not grasp the symbolism of man in the tv(i won't spoil by naming character). What do you all think that feature represents?

Tony

I'm about 1/2 way through and I think I need to finish it and read it again to fully absorb it. It's written in such a matter of fact way, it's easy to lose track of how strange it it. But I have two observations so far:

1) there's a blurring of the boundary between reality and the dream world. So Mari Asai's mirror image remains after she's gone, and Eri Asai is drawn into a nightmare. I wonder if the man in the mask is somehow representative of that. She becomes all image, and no substance. An extreme version of herself and, perhaps, a realisation of her worst fears. This passage in particular draws on that idea (it may change later, I've not got that far yet):



Eri runs her fingers over her face, touching every bit of skin. Through her pyjama top, she lays her hands on her breasts. She verifies that she is her usual self: a beautiful face with well shaped breasts. I'm a lump of flesh, a commercial asset her rambling thoughts tell her...

She feels as if her footing has been swept out from under her. Her body's interior has lost all its necessary weight and is becoming a cavern. Some kind of hand is deftly stripping away everything that has constituted her as Eri until now: the organs, the senses, the muscles, the memories. She knows she will end up as a mere convenient conduit used for the passage of external things. Her flesh creeps with the overwhelming sense of isolation this gives her. I hate this! she screams. I don't want to be changed this way!

There's also the 'convenient' coincidences which, again, have a kind of dream like quality. So Takahashi encounters Mari at Denny's, Mari happens to speak Chinese, even though this is not too common, and happens to know Kaoru who happens to run a love hotel where a Chinese girl is attacked. Then there's the strange link of the milk, between Shirakawa and Takahashi. Again, I think I need to read it again once I've finished it first time around to really draw these coincidences out, but it does read to me like a dream: this happened and X happened to be here...etc..

2) There's an repeating theme of being part of an organism or beast, accompanied with a sense of being part of this thing but not able to control or influence this thing. It's apparent in the striking opening, and also followed through by Takahashi and his decision to study law. Again, I'm not sure if it crops up elsewhere but I'm keeping an eye out for it.

Any thoughts?

I love the way Murakami soundtracks his books. I listened to an extract of Five Spots After Dark last night and loved it. I might have to download :D

[tonywalt]

My interpretation is simply the characters are escaping life as they know it.

Mari - to China as a student Her dressing is very American, with no real reason given. She escapes the norms of Japanese culture. (Granted the author is very Americentric in his books)

Takahasi - to law school, very aimless person.

Eri - sleeping

The hotel manager - A dramatic past, managing hotel to hotel; Running from unknown people.

Shirikawa - escapes humdrum domestic life by assaulting women. Quiet an ordinary man outside his violence to prostitutes.

Chinese prostitutes - Escaping poverty in China.

All characters are looking beyond to escape.

Murakami has a dim view of modern life, from his description of Denny's, the love hotels, the bar....

[TheFifthElement]

I like your theory about each character escaping something. I think there's a dualism represented in the book, perhaps reflecting the 'light' and 'dark' aspects of the characters. This is certainly true of Shirakawa who is on the one hand controlled, logical, obsessively neat and particular about image, and yet is spontaneously and, apparently, uncontrollably violent. Then Eri Asai who is beautiful, a model, and yet wants to disappear. So I think there are a number of things going on here. I think you're assessment of escape is a good one, but I also think there's something here about the night and it's ability to transform, and the juxtaposition of extreme personality traits also coming through. It's interesting, as well, that for some of the characters it's not just about escaping but being chased away from their normal life. Like 'Cricket'.

And of course, there is something about holes. Murakami has something of an obsession with characters disappearing down holes, like Alice. From 4:33:


"Let me tell you something, Mari. The ground we stand on looks solid enough, but if something happens it can drop right out from under you. And once that happens, you've had it; things'll never be the same. All you can do is go on living alone down there in the darkness."

I'm not sure that Murakami has a dim view of modern life, but perhaps the settings are more to establish that ordinary settings: Denny's, Alphaville (love hotels are pretty common fayre in Japan), 7 Eleven become extraordinary at night. I don't know if you know this, but Murakami used to run a jazz bar/coffee house before he became a writer, and his love/knowledge of jazz and that environment really come through in his fiction.

I agree that alienation/loneliness are strong themes in this book. Actually they're fairly strong themes in many Japanese novels. I'm not quite sure why that is, but it comes through in the works of Shiga and Taichi Yamada and Banana Yoshimoto also. But towards the end, signs of connection are coming through: Mari and Eri, Mari and Takahashi. Perhaps that is something to do with the onset of day? I do like how the novel is set in 'real' time.

[tonywalt]

I like your thoughts on the novel. It has been good to read fiction, as I enjoy historical or biographical material.

I do like Murakami alot! The last fiction I read was Catcher in the Rye, and the two books have some common ground. Murakami books, in English translation, are loaded with American colloquialism and mannerisms. Salinger did the same in Catcher.

Since this writer is quite unique, I thought there would be more input. It's a bit annoying that it's not available on Kindle.

Tony

[Alexander III]

Sorry to derail a bit, but I have long wanted to check out Murakami and would love some of your opinions.

Firstly where is the best place to start with him, which novel? Or maybe it is best to start with some short stories.

Also from what I have heard, his style is very "Western" - how does he compare to other contemporaries such as MCarthy, Martin Amis, Marquez, Umberto Eco?

Is he very post-modern, or is more of the realism school?

Any general opinions about the man and his writing would be appreciated

[OrphanPip]

He's more of a magical realist, like Calvino, but more depressing. (so definitely post-modern)

I would start with Kafka on The Shore, which I started with and really enjoyed.

[TheFifthElement]

Since this writer is quite unique, I thought there would be more input.

I'm not overly surprised by that. My experience has been that there's not a great appetite for contemporary novels here. I guess it's understandable, as the 'classic' literature is more likely to have been read, whether by choice or through school or university. So older texts tend to be well discussed, as more people are exposed to them, whereas contemporary fiction reading is more dilute. The book club is more likely to garner more input, but even that seems to be dying a slow death. Not quite sure why that is.


Firstly where is the best place to start with him, which novel? Or maybe it is best to start with some short stories.

Also from what I have heard, his style is very "Western" - how does he compare to other contemporaries such as MCarthy, Martin Amis, Marquez, Umberto Eco?

Is he very post-modern, or is more of the realism school?

Any general opinions about the man and his writing would be appreciated.

Orphanpip has pretty much nailed it. Magical realism/post modern style. Prose wise he's not up to any of those other writers you've mentioned; I think that's more to do with the Japanese style which tends to be less florid and more matter of fact. Sometimes the prose is a bit clunky, but I'm not sure how much that is to do with the translation. Always difficult to tell with translated works.

Kafka on the Shore was also the first of Murakami's books that I read, so not a bad place to start. That being said, Murakami tends to be quite a polarising writer: people love him or hate him. Virgil recently read Kafka and didn't think much to it, and LoteTree posted something similar on his blog about Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which is my personal favourite) and Norwegian Wood which is probably his most 'loved' work. So it's hard to know if you'll like his style or not. As to his 'best' work, I think that is definitely The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle so if I were to advise someone to read one Murakami book only it would be that one.

If you wanted to start with a short story collection, I'd recommend After the Quake which is a collection of stories based around the Kobe Earthquake.

I also found his autobiography (it's kind of, but not exactly an autobiography) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running a really interesting read.

[tonywalt]

Which of his books are close in style to After Dark. I liked the feel to it, it sort of captured the late nite scene in a visceral way.

[TheFifthElement]

Which of his books are close in style to After Dark. I liked the feel to it, it sort of captured the late nite scene in a visceral way.
Um, that's a tricky one as his novels tend to fall into two (ish) camps and then there's After Dark :D Maybe try Sputnik Sweetheart? Or if you're up for a longer work The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is an excellent read. More complex and deep, but themes of loneliness and isolation pervade.

[tonywalt]

I hope I am not beginning to enjoy themes of loneliness and isolation! Sure sounds like it...naaa, I just like style.