Fuyuko is a diligent copy-editor. But a loner. So when an old friend offers her a freelance job, there is a promise of something new and exciting.

And yet for me, All the Lovers in the Night was a bleak read. Fuyoko traverses new possibilities with an alcohol induced confidence, that imbues the story with unease. Ultimately Fuyoko’s changing circumstances allow her to access difficult memories from her past and examine them in a new light. And with that I take comfort.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found parts of this book quite difficult to read. I loved the authors look at friendship. I felt the pacing was off in places.
The writing is poetic and lyrical

Not my favourite work from Mieko Kawakami. It heavily focuses on alcohol abuse and while I love how the author portrays everyday moments, I could not overcome the distance to the main character.

Review: All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
Rating: 5 stars
Mieko Kawakami is an author that I will buy anything from. I adored Heaven and Breasts and Eggs and was really excited when I heard about this one and safe to say I LOVED it.
“The light at night is special because the overwhelming light of day has left us, and the remaining half draws on everything it has to keep the world around us bright.”
Fuyuko Irie is a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirties. Working and living alone in a city where it is not easy to form new relationships, she has little regular contact with anyone other than her editor. When Fuyuko stops one day on a Tokyo street and notices her reflection in a storefront window, what she sees is a drab, awkward, and spiritless woman who has lacked the strength to change her life and decides to do something about it. As the long overdue change occurs, however, painful episodes from Fuyuko’s past surface and her behavior slips further and further beyond the pale.
This book was incredibly beautifully written and moved me in a way that made me want to sit quietly on my own once it was over. Fuyuko has no hobbies, no desires, no strong opinions and it really makes you self reflect a bit. When she emerges from her shell its great, but also her behavior starts to become a bit questionable, but you learn why.
It’s a slow starter but once you’re in you’re in and you won’t want to part from the pages. You can feel her gaining back her confidence and power as the book goes on and it was just brilliant. I would absolutely recommend this one.
“Memory's funny, isn't it? We remember some things out of nowhere, but so much of what happens, we never think about again.”

This book is classic Kawakami. As an author she can be hit and miss with me; I loved half of her work and felt disappointed by the rest (most noteworthy being Heaven). This book has restored my faith in her as an author. Quirky, clever, sharp, to the point, I loved it!

In Mieko Kawakami's latest novel, All The Lovers in the Night, the journey of a solitary woman unfolds, painting a poignant portrait of self-discovery and resilience.

Fuyuko Irie, a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirties, is the heart and soul of this narrative. Living alone in the vast cityscape of Tokyo, her primary interactions are confined to Hijiri, her editor who, despite being of the same age, is strikingly different in temperament. This existence takes a turn when Fuyoko catches her reflection in a storefront window. The uninspired, spiritless image she sees sparks a determination for change.

However, change is seldom smooth sailing. As Fuyuko attempts to steer her life in a new direction, shadows from her past begin to creep in, pushing her behavior to grow increasingly unpredictable. Yet, within the pages of All the Lovers in the Night, these challenges manifest into a narrative that is sharp, entertaining, and laden with raw emotions. The story serves as a reminder that pain, though difficult, can sometimes lead to growth and renewal.

This tale is primarily driven by character development rather than plot progression. Fuyuko's journey, the decisions she makes, and the path she forges to navigate her life, work, and relationships, hold the reader in a mesmerizing grip. We walk alongside her as she grapples with her solitude, attempts to form meaningful connections, and strives to transform herself into someone she can be proud of.

In essence, All The Lovers in the Night is a slow and introspective read that quietly hooks the reader and refuses to let go. It is a thoughtful exploration of personal growth, loneliness, and the courage it takes to change. This novel, undoubtedly, makes for a captivating read, challenging us to reflect on our own journeys of self-improvement and self-acceptance.

Absolutely LOVED this. Mike Kawakami has fast become one of my favourite authors. Written in perfect prose, it is an exploration of loneliness and depression with friendship and alcoholism mixed in.

Poetic and thoughtful, this book will stay with me for a long time!

This is my first time reading Mieko Kawakami and unfortunately it was a tremendous disappointment given the hype around this author. I found the pace lagging and the characterisation insufficient. It is difficult to believe that a person who has the main character’s level of education wouldn’t know the basic theories about light. Her passivity, social anxiety and alcoholism intrigued me at first, but it is not developed later on in the book. Even in the flashback to her school days, she was already excruciatingly awkward and passive. Since the narrative doesn’t show why or how she became like that, I found the character entirely unconvincing. I’d like to give it the benefit of the doubt and ask whether the MC is supposed to be a neurodiverse character, but since this is never mentioned in the novel or the paratext, I don’t feel like it can justify the poor storytelling and characterisation.

Absolutely gutted, I was diving in, enthralled, and then noticed the formatting was off and literally couldn't read the rest of the book.

Will likely just purchase, it seems a winner.

All the Lovers in the Night

This was such an interesting book.
Fuyuko Irie is a freelance proof reader, she lives alone, is in her 30’s and doesn’t have any friends. The only person she interacts with is Hijiri, who arranges her work for her.
Even though Fuyuko doesn’t drink, she starts to drink quite heavily to give herself confidence and to relax.
On Christmas Eve, each year, she likes to walk late at night to see the lights that surround her in Tokyo.
She builds up the courage one day to visit a centre, thinking to enrol in a course. However, due to the amount of alcohol she drinks, she doesn’t end up doing so, as she is sick. A kind man, Mitsutsuka checks on her, makes sure she is ok.
Fuyuko goes back a few times, never enrolling but chatting with Mitsutsuka and even meeting him for coffee. It seems they have some things in common, he also enjoys the lights around the town and for the first time Fuyuko starts to feel something for someone. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, someone that cares and she actually feels wanted.
Has she left it too late in life to be loved, wanted?
This was a beautifully written book that gives insight into how lonely you can feel and how work can take over your life.
I highly recommend to any Japanese fiction readers.

I've had Kawakami's other books on my shelves for a while now and keep putting them off. I enjoyed this one so it's convinced me to go and read one of their other books. I love books that focus on women who haven't followed the stereotypical path in life

This story centres on Fuyuko Irie, a 34-year-old Japanese proofreader living in the present day. She gradually confronts the tragedies of her past through her career and personal relationships.

The novel moves at a leisurely pace, allowing for introspection and the exploration of characters. Fuyuko is a fascinating and multifaceted protagonist, and her inner turmoil is portrayed sensitively and powerfully. I appreciated how Kawakami depicted Fuyuko's growing acceptance of and comfort with both her strength and her weakness.

Kawakami does a fantastic job of portraying a clear image of contemporary Japan through her rich and lyrical prose. The author's ability to capture the nuances of everyday life, as well as the vivid descriptions of the many locales (from Fuyuko's office to the adult education classes she attends), were highlights for me.

The plot drags at points, and the ending is somewhat abrupt, which is a shame. In addition, I found that the roles of some of the characters, particularly Hijiri and Mitsutsuka, were forced and that they were underdeveloped.

For the most part, I enjoyed All the Lovers in the Night. This story shows the inner turmoil of a multifaceted protagonist and is full of introspection and depth. Kawakami's prose is vivid and evocative, and readers who appreciate deliberate character studies may find much to like here despite the story's flaws.

Heartbreaking and beautiful character study of a young woman plagued by trauma and depression.
The writing is as I’ve come to expect from Mieko Kawakami, is hauntingly beautiful and dreamlike.

Employing dazzlingly realised themes of light and emotional illumination, this lyrical, often shocking novel from the author of Breasts and Eggs revolves around a proofreader in her mid-30s and a physics teacher who offers her a shot at salvation.
Mesmerising, heartbreaking, 10 out of 10!!

Unique read, really interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I ended up buying a physical version of this as I found the Netgalley arc version to have too many localisation issues. In some cases sentences did not make sense. This is why my review is delayed.

However after reading the physical version it didn't disappoint me. I really enjoy a slice of life book, especially in scenarios that feel so raw and realistic. I adore Kawasaki's writing, even when the pages are explaining very little you find yourself transported into the scene. However the reason it is not rated higher was because I would have liked more to happen in the plot. I was really rooting for the protagonist and felt at times that very little was happening.

All the Lovers in the Night is by one of my favourite authors and as soon as I heard this was being translated I was dying to read it.
Many Thanks to NetGalley and Picador for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overview:
Fuyoka is a copy editor in her mid-30s, living alone in a city where it is not easy to form new relationships. When she stops one day in a Tokyo street and sees her reflection she cannot help but see a drab, awkward and completely spiritless woman staring back at her and realises she needs to make a change.
Review:
Plot- Beautifully emotive and completely insightful into some topics I feel has become extremely relevant in modern society. It kept me engaged throughout and the translation side of it read well to me. The book close to becomes a study of the narrator- and a massive portion is spent showing the difficulties of being a woman in society, but in this case demonstrating it in Japan where the culture is different to my own- but I can still see nuances of relatability which I feel was fantastic.
For 224 pages it starts unhurried pace wise, hooks you on the story and then drags you over the edge wondering what on earth is going to happen.
Bonus points that pushed this from 4* to 5* is that this book made me cry and that’s a feat in itself.
World building- really well done throughout.

Lead Character- Fuyoka is a fantastic narrator and shows deftly the struggles of both herself and other women in an enigmatic and provoking sense of self that left me completely enamoured with her. Her development throughout was excellent and as the pages grew shorter towards the end I was upset this story would be ending so soon.


Final Thoughts,
An fantastic, engaging and intimate read that left me in tears and with a long reading slump recovery period afterwards.

A wonderful, atmospheric character driven novel following Fuyuko Irie, a freelance editor in her mid-thirties, who spends all of her time at home and being generally antisocial, the only regular contact being with her editor. One day Fuyuko spots her reflection while running an errand and realises that she is dull and languid, lacking energy to make her life fulfilling, and she decides at that moment to do something about it.

I'm enjoying the recent surge in 'sad girl' novels and this is a perfect example from Kawakami, following Fuyuko as she makes changes to her life and deals with trauma from her past. This is the first book I have read by Kawakami and I loved the often dreamlike writing and the atmosphere she creates. I will definitely be reading more by of her work!

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. It's evdy much a cgara yer driven story, centering a rather socially awkward woman on the edge of society. She's a loner, perfectly happy in the peace and quiet of familiar surroundings and honestly I thought I would relate to Fuyuko because I'm very similar in that sense too. However I just found there wasn't really enough of a or for me. I liked seeing Fuyuko trying to get out of her comfort zone and seeing the world through new eyes but in the end it just meanders too much for me.

The writing is rather beautiful though.

This is the first book I have read by this author despite having Breast and Eggs on my bookshelf and I'm glad I've read this.