She is not going to China out of any desire to test herself or see the world the trip is simply an extension of that initial flight away from expectations.Īnd yet, Mari is comparatively free, defined by the shadows of another, in which she's lived her life, but at least given the freedom to vanish within those shadows. Mari did not go to a Chinese school because she had any affinity for Chinese culture, but rather to flee the competition of her former school. If one follows the chain of cause and effect back, however, it becomes clear that every step was merely a reaction to others' influence. In only a short while, Mari will be going to China as an exchange student. She has nowhere to go, but her goal has never been any specific destination. Mari is out in the dead of the night, aiming to spend the night awake in the middle of the big city. They are staying up at night reading and practicing their instruments, and, when they converse with one another, they do so in their own fashion, sharing stories and keeping their distance with equal frequency. The characters of Tokyo's witching hours are not aware that we are watching them, and they make no attempt to show us the most important parts of their lives.

Milk put back on the shelf by one character is purchased by a second, a cell phone left in a store is answered by another, and threats and referrals alter the players in the game and their relationships with one another. In Haruki Murakami's 2004 novel After Dark (English translation 2007), which follows its characters through the night and into the early morning hours, these actions range from the subtly earth shattering to the mundane. In a city teeming with millions, the streets are reduced to a cast of only a few, and their actions spiral out and shape one another. Oh, the connections and events were always there, but now, as the Denny's empties out and our main character goes from one among many to practically alone in the restaurant, those connections are magnified. It's nighttime in Tokyo, and everything affects everything else.

After dark murakami review