tbr-ed ! | after dark

10:20 AM | book details

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

3rd murakami book and i’m still not satisfied. i said i would get more into Japanese literature but i had no idea i would get so sucked into it.

after dark is absolutely amazing and reading it is like stepping into some sort of dark void except in this cause you LOVE the void. the book is very high concept, and the chapters are basically like the hands of a clock. we start at 11:56 PM and then go all the way to 6:52 AM.

the book definitely needs a sequel because i need to know what happens next?? do mari and takahahsi go on that date? does eri asai even wake up? what about that shirakawa dude? does he get what he deserve? and what about korogi? is her running away successful or do they get to her in the end?

this book has no timeline and like i said before, it’s basically similar to stepping into a void and then shockingly getting out of there—more confusingly than shockingly, but still the similar sentiment. what i’m trying to imply here is that after dark genuinely has no ending. we as readers, do not get any sort of closure at all. what does “there will be a time until the next darkness arises” supposed to mean??? how can you just leave us hanging😭😭

as a reader, i love books focused on characters a lot. i love reading about characters i can relate to, characters i can hate and characters i can just feel neutral about.

my character ranking of “after dark”

aka the 1 or 2 characters i loved in the book.

1. Mari Asai— her mysterious vibes, the thick fat book she carries everywhere and her uncanny habit of not contributing to a conversation unless someone asks her to or unless she genuinely wants to
2. Tetsuya Takahashi— i grew to love him throughout the timeline of this book. who doesn’t love loveable characters with a tragic past? he is such an icon though. hardwork and going to law school after midnight music practice? if you want a character to look up to as a role model, let it be tetsuya takahashi. plus he also apologised for bringing that girl to alphaville so give my boy a rest😭

WHAT TO READ IF YOU LIKED AFTER DARK

or if you liked reading any of these then you'd probably enjoy reading after dark

• short reads: before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, almond by Won-pyung Sohn
• books with a “shock” factor: gone girl by gillian flynn
• always a classic: the bell jar by syliva path, the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde, schoolgirl by osamu dazai

frankly speaking, this is a book i expected to like. there are some books when you look at them, you’re just like you’ll like them. after dark was one of these. definitely a book i’ll be recommending to everyone !! if you decide to pick this up, let me know !!

have you read any murakami books? any japanese literature recommendations? will you be picking this up? let me know !

asic signing off,