Description

International Booker Prize-shortlisted author

From literary sensation Mieko Kawakami, the bestelling author of Breasts and Eggs and Heaven comes All the Lovers in the Night, an extraordinary, deeply moving and insightful story set in contemporary Tokyo.

‘Mieko Kawakami is a genius’ – Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times

Fuyuko Irie is a freelance proofreader in her thirties. Living alone, and unable to form meaningful relationships, she has little contact with anyone other than Hijiri, someone she works with. When she sees her reflection, she’s confronted with a tired and spiritless woman who has failed to take control of her own life. Her one source of solace: light. Every Christmas Eve, Fuyuko heads out to catch a glimpse of the lights that fill the Tokyo night. But it is a chance encounter with a man named Mitsutsuka that awakens something new in her. And so her life begins to change.

As Fuyuko starts to see the world in a different light, painful memories from her past begin to resurface. Fuyuko needs to be loved, to be heard, and to be seen. But living in a small world of her own making, will she find the strength to bring down the walls that surround her?

All The Lovers In The Night is acute and insightful, entertaining and captivating, pulsing and poetic, modern and shocking. It’s another unforgettable novel from Japan’s most exciting writer.

Translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.

Publisher Review

The author dazzles with her exploration of emotions . . . An invigorating and empowering portrait. It's a winner. * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) * Kawakami has created a rich and notable examination of the varied ways women choose to live their lives and the gains and losses that come with the choices they've made. Kawakami writes with the tender and incisive sensibilities of a poet . . . An unforgettable and masterful work. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) * Candid and searing, Kawakami's latest is another brilliantly rendered portal into young women's lives. * Booklist (Starred Review) * Her most accomplished novel yet . . . A contemporary Japanese master continues her meteoric rise into our literary firmament -- Hamilton Cain * Oprah Daily (A Most Anticipated Book of 2022) *