After Dark (Vintage) – Haruki Murakami

Reality bends all the more acutely with lack of sleep in this stunning novel from the master of the surreal.

Eyes mark the shape of the city

The midnight hour approaches in an almost-empty diner. Mari sips her coffee and reads a book, but soon her solitude is disturbed: a girl has been beaten up at the Alphaville hotel, and needs Mari’s help.

Meanwhile Mari’s beautiful sister Eri lies in a deep, heavy sleep that is ‘too perfect, too pure’ to be normal; it has lasted for two months. But tonight as the digital clock displays 00:00, a hint of life flickers across the television screen in her room, even though it’s plug has been pulled out.

Strange nocturnal happenings, or a trick of the night?

‘A captivating mood piece, delicate and wistful’ Evening Standard