I feel like I need to apologist to this book for not reading it sooner! What a ride. I think what I enjoyed the most is the pace, it has a nice rhythm and once you get into, it's hard to want to pause.

3.5

This is the most murakami-esque book by Kawakami I've read (I was aware she has been compared to him and is seen as his 'heiress', but I really didn't notice any similarities in her previous works). This isn't a bad thing, but it made me feel weird, like I was a teenager again reading Murakami for the first time, allowing the main character to make me feel as sad and lonely as she felt on the page.

The themes discussed in the book, though, are all Kawakami: loneliness, friendship, intimacy and "othering", as well as trauma and the different ways in which people deal (or do not) with it.

I didn't really like any of the characters in this book, but I could recognize parts of myself in them (some that I like, some that made me feel ashamed) and I enjoyed reading the different takes characters had on issues related to the role of 30-something year old women in Japan's society.

Overall I think this is a good book, but it wasn't my favorite of hers and it made me too sad, I always get too involved with her stories. Maybe I'll change my rating and my review after a while since I tend to think about Mieko's books constantly after I've finished them.

tw: alcoholism and sexual assault

A grueling read, less because of the subject matter and more because nothing ever seems to happen...apart from protracted, vague descriptions of the narrator's day to day life (and sadness) and conversations that veer from too-on-the-nose irony to excruciatingly mundane. Because of this relentless dullness when the trauma underscoring the narrator's life is hinted at or finally revealed it rings more hollow than true, particularly since the narrator remains so inert throughout. It really felt like all this vagueness and aimless wandering was meant to serve as some sort of profound or meaningful depiction of loneliness...but for me, it was only ever tedious.

I will say I liked the ending, especially since it resolved one of the biggest issues I had with the book, but apart from that...this is not much of an inducement to read Kawakami's other works.

BOOK REVIEW

All The Lovers in the Night – Mieko Kawakami (translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd)

“All the lovers in the night”. The phrase had appeared out of nowhere. Through the faint light of the room, I looked over the words in the strangest way. On the one hand, they felt new tome, like something I’d never heard or seen before, though I also fely like maybe I had read them somewhere, in the title of a movie or a song, which meant it had emerged from someplace inside of me. Hard to say.

Fuyuko Irie works as a freelance copy editor from her single flat in a large city. In her mid-thirtes, her main contact with the outside world is Hijiri, her editor of a similar age but vastly different personality. When Fuyuko catches her reflection in a shop window and sees the dispirited woman she has become, she resolves to make changes.

What transpires is an exploration of loneliness, anxiety and social norms shown through the eyes of the protagonist, who seems to face criticism for not fitting in, only to see more criticism aimed at her after her attempts to fit in, as she doesn’t seem able to be socially acceptable. Her self-esteem suffers, leading her to take ever more extreme actions to combat the world around her which she finds so difficult.

Fuyuko finds solace in working at home and dealing with fewer contacts, but still craves human connections, especially with Mitsutsuka, an older man who offers Fuyuko companionship and a new outlook. This and the other friendships shown in the book feel real, mainly due to the multi-dimensional characters of Fuyuko and Hijiri, and their relationship takes precedence throughout the story, including over Mitsutsuka.

I haven’t read “Heaven” or “Breasts and Eggs”, and I know the latter is quite the polarising book, but I enjoyed this one a lot. It’s an exploration of one woman’s psyche with a prose style heavy on small detail and subtleties, with some excellent moments, not least the “final confrontation” as Fuyuko grows and becomes more confident in herself. This is not a fast-paced book, but the portrait of the introvert as a young proofreader is one that I think will resonate with a lot of readers. A very enjoyable read, and a recommended read from me.

Thank you to #netgalley and #europaeditions for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.

A haunting, lyrical novel about a socially awkward woman who lives a life largely withdrawn from greater society and an exploration of agency and loneliness in our modern world. Fuyuko, a freelance editor in Tokyo, works from home and rarely ventures out except once per year when she takes a long nighttime walk on her birthday. She seems unable to bridge the gap between herself and the rest of society, but does not know if this is due to her own choices or her circumstances. Over the course of a year, we watch Fuyuko in her fledgling steps to connect with others, relying on alcohol to overcome her fears, confronting her past traumas, and finding a new way of being in the world. This was my second time to read Kawakami--her writing style is mesmerizing and engrossing and her novels are full of observations of the human condition in modern life, womanhood, loneliness, agency, and our secret desires. Readers of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will find similar ground here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for the ARC. I plan to feature this on my TikTok: @alistofreads

This is the first Kawakami book I've read. I enjoyed her writing style- it reminded me a bit of Murakami in its simplicity and slice of life storytelling. Our protagonist is Fuyuko Irie, a thirty-five years old freelance proofreader, who has never had very many friends or a romantic relationship. She lives a very solitary life. After meeting Hijiri, an extroverted colleague of hers, Fuyuko begins putting herself out in the world a bit more. One day, Fuyuko finds herself at a community center where she meets an older man who she connects with on several levels. The rest of the story explores these three relationships: her female friendship, a potential love interest, and lastly, the relationship she has with herself. This book is a very honest and thoughtful exploration of loneliness. While beautifully written, this story is rather sad and slow paced and may not be for everyone.

Fuyuko is a proofreader for a publisher in Japan, spending her days carefully reviewing galleys to for any mistakes. Her life is small: she works, she lives alone, and she doesn’t do much else. She has no real friends, except for Hijiri, a professional contact. Till one day she really looks at her reflection while she’s out, and sees a miserable person looking back at her. Fuyuko embarks on a journey to change herself and her world, not entirely sure where to start. And as she starts to try and change her life, past traumas come back to haunt her.

This is a tough book. Fuyuko suffers from bouts of depression and anxiety from her different efforts to escape her loneliness. It’s also full of hope, love, and care. Kawakami’s writing is clear and forthright, and I really enjoyed it.

Fuyuko is wonderfully relatable even as she is solitary and a bit socially awkward. Once you start reading, you really feel like you know her pretty well and want to know her even more. I enjoyed Kawakami's social commentary in this elegant novel, particularly the examination of feminism and what it means to live a conventional life. This serious novel manages to be contemplative without being boring. The author masterfully conveys a sense of detached loneliness without depressing the reader. Recommended for fans of "quiet" literary fiction.

All the Lovers in the Night follows Fuyuko, a soon-to-be 35-year-old woman working as a proofreader. The book features many discussions on feminism, about being a woman and learning to stand up for yourself, but also about having the freedom to live your life in an unconventional way. I liked how this book showed several ways of being a woman, but also how some people feel the need to be a certain way to adhere to norms and what’s expected of them.

It’s one of the most interesting female narratives I've read in a book, simply because Fuyuko might be one of the strangest characters I’ve ever stumbled upon, in the way that she’s completely detached from other people. Maybe it's just me, but I noticed a few similarities between Fuyuko and Alice from Sally Rooney’s BWWAY. They both have some of the same characteristics and they are often unable to express what they’re actually feeling.

I really enjoyed this book and I’m so grateful that I got the chance to read an ARC of it! Thank you @europaeditions @kawakami_mieko

All the Lovers in the Night is a captivating and compelling read, completely bingeable and impossible to put down. You’ll read it in a sitting or two or three and then it’ll be over and for days after you’ll find yourself wondering about the physics of light and colors, reflections, relationships, what’s real, and what’s worth living for.

In recognizable Japanese fashion, this is a quiet, contemplative novel with a signature Mieko Kawakami flair. It’s chock full of social commentary, observations and strong opinions on womanhood, motherhood, sex, depression, the trouble with fitting in and standing out, breaking social norms, and taking time to heal internal, invisible wounds - both faded and fresh.

Really enjoyed reading this atmospheric novel. Thank you Europa Editions and Netgalley for the ARC.

my first book by mieko kawakami, but after enjoying this one so much, i know it won’t be my last. her breakout novel in japan, i’m very excited this one is now making its way to an english-speaking audience.

the book follows 30-something fuyuko irie, a freelance copy editor working & living alone in tokyo. finding it hard to form new relationships and meet new people, she finally finds the strength to change her life and do something to make it worth living. in doing so, however, painful episodes from fuyuko’s past surface, and her behaviours take a turn for the worse. the book explores this change over the course of a year, and how her friendship with an older physics teacher impacts her life.

this book is so easy to read all at once. it’s a shorter book that packs a punch, and i’m still finding the words to describe how much i enjoyed it. it says a lot about japanese society through fuyuko’s journey — about being a woman, experiencing isolation, and the trouble of fitting in when you feel like you don’t belong. i really related a lot to her as we come to the end of the second year of covid-isolation, a period in my life where everything has been up & down, and i’ve had to reevaluate a lot of the ways i live my own life. mieko kawakami tackles this in a story that feels both complete and just the stat of something bigger.

thank you @netgalley and @europa for my advanced copy!

(cw: sexual assault, alcoholism, isolation)

Mieko Kawakami is perfect. A true freak. I wish there was a way to get the slippy slidey Osakan accént in the translation. What a delight these books have been anyway.

This is a quiet sort of story, despairing yet hopeful. Fuyuko is quiet, socially awkward and keeps to herself. Since she didn’t socialise with her co-workers they bullied her and intentionally left her out. This led her to taking on a job as a freelance proofreader. Although she enjoyed this job, she became even more isolated from the world.

When it came to her job, Kawakami (Bett & Boyd) did an amazing and thorough job and went into great details about the role. For all of us who love to read, wouldn’t we just jump at the chance to be paid to read?! Unfortunately for Fuyuko, she couldn’t enjoy reading anymore because all she would find were mistakes that a proofreader is suppose to catch.

With her new role, she meets new people — those who are a bit more understanding and less judgemental. She also begins to drink, becomes more confident and begins to relax. Unfortunately, this takes downward turn as she begins to drink excessively and even in public to calm her nerves.

She ends up meeting an older physics teacher who’s a bit odd and lonely as well. I really enjoyed their “lack of” conversations where they would just sit and have a coffee and barely speak to each other, yet they found solace in each other’s company. I was really rooting for these moments!!

I would have to say this isn’t a love story, or even about a girl meeting a boy — it’s about loneliness, struggling, and finding out where you fit into the world. It’s quite tragic tbh.

Is the ending happy? I’m not sure, but I was content and it did make me smile. We see Fuyuko grow, and I’m sure she’ll be ok. 🥺

Wow, I don't remember the last time I was so invested in a novel! I read this in the span of a couple of days because I really couldn't put it down.

Fuyoko Irie is in her mid thirties working as a freelance editor when in an epiphanic moment it dawns on her the extent of her misery. Much like William Stoner from John William's novel Stoner, Fuyoko has allowed most of her life decisions be taken for her by others. All her life she has simply gone along with what others' have told her to do or expected her to do. She leads a life of routine -- without friendship, without romance, or excitement. This realization comes with a depression aided by her concerning newfound taste for alcohol.

This realization and depression, although concerning, triggers a life shift for Fuyoko Irie. She starts a new job and the change of that feels overwhelming to her. She meets with old friends and makes new ones, quietly observing and questioning them and their ways of seeing the world. A huge focus of the book is a budding friendship/romance that she has on a physics high school teacher and we see her navigate the messy and painful feelings that come with falling in love. The romance reminded me of In the Mood for Love, except with two lonely, awkward outcasts.

In the end, I was completely taken by Fuyoko Irie's journey of self-realization. This is my first Mieko Kawakami novel, and now I'm excited to keep reading her work.

Mieko Kawakami is an incredibly talented author and English readers are lucky each time a work of hers gets translated. Similar to Breast and Eggs this story centres strong female relationships and has a huge emotional pull. I look forward to the day when Mieko Kawakami is celebrated as the star of Japanese literature, I think her time is coming soon. Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

This is my first full length novel by Mieko Kawakami and I think it has the signature atmosphere and the sort of lonely vibe I got from the other work of Kawakami's I was able to read. This novel is full to the brim with emotion and the experiences of a woman.

Full review to come and rating may change!

All the Lovers in the Night is the first novel I’ve read by Mieko Kawakami — so, unlike other reviewers, I don’t have any opinions about how this compares to her other work — but I will say that this totally broke my heart. Tense and atmospheric, trapping the reader in the POV of an awkward and lonely soul — who is frequently lectured by other women on how a woman ought to live — I found this novel both emotionally affecting and fascinatingly revelatory of the modern Japanese woman’s experience. Four solid stars for the writing — plot and setting and mood — with the slightest quibbles about the lack of depth in secondary characters. I’m looking forward to reading more from Kawakami in the future.

This is a slow story but it is beautifully written and keeps you turning pages. We see character driven development and look into introversion when feeling lonely.
It's a calming light into seeing potential even in the dark.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

3 ¼ stars

Previously to reading All the Lovers in the Night, I’d read Breasts and Eggs, Heaven, and Ms. Ice Sandwich, by Mieko Kawakami. While I was not ‘fond’ of Breasts and Eggs, I did find her other books to be compelling. As the premise for All the Lovers in the Night did bring to mind Breasts and Eggs, I was worried that I would have a similarly ‘negative’ reading experience. Thankfully, I found All the Lovers in the Night to be insightful and moving. Even more so than Kawakami’s other works, All the Lovers in the Night adheres to a slice-of-life narrative. Yet, in spite of this, the story is by no means light-hearted or superficial. Kawakami approaches difficult topics with this deceptively simple storytelling. She renders the loneliness and anxiety of her central character with clarity and even empathy. Thirty-something Fuyuko Irie leads a solitary life working from home as a freelance copy editor. Her inward nature led her former colleagues to single her out, and she was made to feel increasingly uncomfortable at her workplace. Working from home Fuyuko is able to avoid interacting with others, and seems content with her quiet existence. Fuyuko receives much of her work from Hijiri, an editor who is the same age as her but is very extroverted and possesses a forceful personality. Hijiri, for reasons unknown to Fuyuko, regularly keeps in touch with her and seems to consider her a friend. Perhaps their differences cause Fuyuko to begin questioning her lifestyle. Compared to her glamorous friend, Fuyuko sees herself, to borrow Jane Eyre’s words, as “obscure, plain and little”. But venturing outside the comfort of her home has become difficult for Fuyuko. To work up the courage she begins drinking alcohol, even if her body doesn’t respond well to it. She eventually begins going to a cafe with an older man. While the two speak of nothing much, they seem happy to exchange tentative words with one another.
I can see that this is not the type of novel that will appeal to those readers who are keen on plot-driven stories. However, if you are looking for an affecting character study, look no further. Through Fuyuko’s story, the author addresses how Japanese society sees and treats women who are deemed no longer ‘young’. Marriage, motherhood, and a career seem to be the requirements for many Japanese women. Those like Fuyuko are considered outside of the norm and because of this, they find themselves alienated from others. Fuyuko’s self-esteem is badly affected by this to the point where she feels that she has to go outside her comfort zone, even if the only way to do so is through inebriation. At a certain point, I was worried that Kawakami would make Hijiri into the classic fake/mean female character who is portrayed as aggressive, promiscuous, and a woman-hater to boot. Thankfully that was not the case. While Hijiri is not necessarily a likeable person Kawakami doesn’t paint her as a one-dimensional bitch and her relationship with Fuyuko isn’t sidetracked in favour of the romantic subplot. And yes, on the ‘romance’...I will say that this man wasn’t as nuanced as Fuyuko. I found him slightly boring and generic. I did like that the relationship between the two forms has a very slow build-up to it and the ending will certainly subvert many readers' expectations.
Anyway, overall I rather enjoyed this. I liked the melancholic mood permeating Fuyuko’s story, the descriptions of Tokyo, the mumblecore dialogues, the way Kawakami articulates Fuyuko’s discomfort, anxiety, etc. Now and again there were even moments of humour and absurdity that alleviated Fuyuko’s more depressing experiences. I also appreciated the novel’s open-ended nature, which added an extra layer of realism to Fuyuko’s story. While some of Fuyuko’s actions aren’t given a ‘why’ or closely inspected, as we read on we begin to understand more fully her various state of mind and how these affect her behaviour.
While the dialogues did have a realistic rhythm, the secondary characters (who usually did most of the talking given that our main character isn't a talker) did tend to go on very long and weirdly specific monologues that seemed at times incredibly random or oddly revealing. This is something I noticed in other works by Kawakami. Secondary characters go on endless rants or whatnot while our main character gives little to no input. It seems a bit unusual that Fuyumu would come across so many people who are willing to go on these very long monologues that reveal personal stuff. Even so, I did find the majority of the dialogues to be effective.
All the Lovers in the Night is a work of subtle beauty and I look forward to revisiting it again in the future.

“Will you walk through the night with me?”

A calm, gentle book about loneliness, the struggle to find connections to other people and yourself. Calmly written with quiet moments of poetry.