All the Lovers in the Night
by Mieko Kawakami
Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd
I must admit that I am not a great reader of Japanese fiction. In fact, All the Lovers in the Night is only my first book by Mieko Kawakami, despite the sensational international success of Heaven and Breasts and Eggs. Before this novel, my most recent Japanese reads were two novels by Sayaka Murata: Earthlings and Convenience Store Woman.
At first glance, Fuyuko Irie, the protagonist and narrator of All the Lovers in the Night has many similarities to Murata’s characters. In her mid-thirties, she has been stuck for years in the same job (a proofreader in Fuyuko’s case), just like Keiko in Convenience Store Woman. She is a shy introvert, and has very few interesting things to say about herself:
I couldn’t think of a single thing about me that would be worth sharing. My name is Fuyuko Irie, a freelance proofreader, thirty-four years old. I’ll be turning thirty-five in the winter. I live alone. I’ve been living in the same apartment forever. I was born in Nagano. Out in the country. One of the valleys. I like to go out on a walk once a year on my birthday, Christmas Eve, in the middle of the night.
As in Murata’s novels, societal mores weigh heavily on the protagonist. Fuyuko feels lost and tired under the pressure of society to “conform”: be more affable and outgoing, find a partner, marry and have children.
Murata responds to this theme with black humour (in Convenience Store Woman) or dark, shocking anger (in Earthlings). All the Lovers in the Night is, in comparison, understated but surprisingly moving. In an attempt to break out of her mould, Fuyuko starts drinking until this starts to be a real problem. Once, in one of her inebriated outings, she meets Mitsutsuka and starts a strange friendship with him. Mitsutsuka is non-judgmental, accepting Fuyuko as she is, willing to ignore her weaknesses (not least her awkwardness and reliance on alcohol). He introduces himself as a physics teacher in a local school, and over several meetings at a coffee shop in Tokyo, the two discuss light and colour, a subject of fascination to them both. Fuyuko’s fondness for Mitsutsuka grows and, as we wonder whether it will grow into love, Fuyuko starts spreading her wings, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.
This may
sound sentimental and there are, indeed, old-fashioned (R/r)omantic aspects to
the story, which I don’t mind at all. All the Lovers in the Night is,
however, more than an entertaining romance. It approaches the plight of the protagonist
(and people like her) with an insight and understanding which make this novel
particularly engaging. The first-rate,
flowing translation is by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
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