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What We're Reading:
Current Picks
from
the Watermark Staff
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Sarah Bagby's book reviews can be heard on
alternate Mondays on KMUW 89.1.
Here's a transcript of this week's review. To listen,
go here.
"After Dark" by Haruki Murakami (Knopf, ISBN
9780307265838, $22.95)
"Through the eyes of a high-flying night bird, we take in the scene from
midair... the city looks like a single gigantic creature—-or more like a single
collective entity created by many intertwining organisms."
So begins "After Dark," by the illustrious Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami.
Embraced by the American literati, yet misunderstood in his native Japan,
Murakami uses his trade-mark surrealistic imagery to create a suspenseful,
noir-ish postmodern piece set during late night hours in Tokyo's amusement
district.
It would be foolish to attempt describing the dream-like plot of any Murakami
novel. Better to emphasize the writer's skill in moving through time, space,
consciousness and point of view, while creating a gripping narrative for a
handful of disparate characters. A bonus is the employment of marvelous
references to popular culture and the essence of a city at night.
Fans of Murakami will embrace this shorter volume, and if you are new to this
inventive writer, "After Dark," is a good place to zoom in on his work.
Review by Sarah Bagby
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