After Dark by Haruki Murakami

After Dark is my first read by author Haruki Murakami, and I am left very pleased. Diving into the novel, I found that I naturally began to savor each page and chapter, and reading began to feel almost rhythmic.

Murakami's writing style is simple and easy to follow. Beautiful metaphors that invoke thought but never travel "over your head".

Murakami delivered an honest, consistent novel, maintaining the same flow from beginning to end which often proves difficult in other authors' writing styles. After Dark incorporates mystery, and fosters a genuine fondness for each character.

After Dark is about one night in a busy city in Japan, full of observations and intricate detail. I once read that Murakami often refers to his writing style as "dreaming" and that he will literally "dream" onto the page. Sure enough, while reading this novel I couldn't escape the notion that the story sounds and feels like a dream! While envisioning each mental picture and moment in this novel, each scene had very dream-like qualities. Whether this was due to the foundation of the story intertwining fantasy and reality, or Murakami placing readers into a mild trance with his close observations and beautiful dialogue, we can't fully say. Either way, the experience was very pleasant and the story a definite page-turner. Through his narration, Murakami has a way of inviting the reader into the novel as a shared observer. The reader is made to feel as though we are actively involved in removing the layers of the story. What a joy!

It is a breath of fresh air when an author has the ability to allow the reader to draw their own conclusions with no room for confusion. After Dark doesn't leave readers with the feeling of not receiving enough information, or that frustrating experience of wanting to know what happens next. The conclusions were adequately satisfying, showing that Murakami knew exactly when to pull the plug and leave readers with just enough.

Blended together, all these elements make for a quick, beautiful experience about both a girl who cannot sleep and a girl who simply cannot wake up. We give the book 4 out of 5 stars!