After Dark by Haruki Murakami

[winjer]

Was loving it up until about half way through...

>>click<< - one of my favorite bloggers nails the dilemma for any fan of Murakami... I dunno if I agree that he has 'nothing to say'... but theres definatley something to that statement...

still, the book is a pleasurable read, and full of great Murakami moments... but... I hate saying 'Murakami moments'...

[grady]

Originally Posted by winjer

Was loving it up until about half way through...

>>click<< - one of my favorite bloggers nails the dilemma for any fan of Murakami... I dunno if I agree that he has 'nothing to say'... but theres definatley something to that statement...

still, the book is a pleasurable read, and full of great Murakami moments... but... I hate saying 'Murakami moments'...

That link really hit on some good points. Thanks for adding it.

Regarding the film references, I wish I could locate the interview at this moment, but I remember reading around the release of Kafka on the Shore that the only filmmakers he would give his novels to outright would be David Lynch and Woody Allen.

While reading After Dark something about the milleu of the evening city setting seems like a perfect match up for Wong Kar-Wai. There is some congruency in After Dark and the rather plotless structure of WKW's film, especially where the mood and feeling is more important than the plot more often than not.

(digression: I'm really curious to see WKW's new film My Blueberry Nights as it's his first forray into an entire English language film. link to the trailer can be found here.)

[kid cue]

Originally Posted by winjer

Was loving it up until about half way through...

>>click<< - one of my favorite bloggers nails the dilemma for any fan of Murakami... I dunno if I agree that he has 'nothing to say'... but theres definatley something to that statement...

still, the book is a pleasurable read, and full of great Murakami moments... but... I hate saying 'Murakami moments'...

i think Murakami's work can suffer from being too loose or unfocused, like stream-of-consciousness without enough consciousness. Hard-Boiled Wonderland was formally awkward despite its incredible ambition. this maybe comes across as being self-indulgent, "surface" (as the blog puts it) over "depth," writing for the sake of writing instead of starting with a 'real' idea. but these are just false distinctions aren't they?

of course his "uncanny ability to create atmosphere and capture physical longing" and way of "cataloging the discontents of the modern age, particularly the alarmingly numerous forms of ennui" have everything to do with the "human condition." if there's a problem, it's with Murakami's consistency rather than his chosen form/style IMO.