All The Lovers In The Night

Kawakami’s novel is uncompromisingly candid in its appraisal of the harm women inflict on one another, while never losing sight of the overarching structures that lead them to do so in the first place. Compact and supple, it’s a strikingly intelligent feat. ― The New York Times Book 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)

[An] engrossing, fine-boned new novel, deftly translated from Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd . . . with this consummate novel, Kawakami’s star continues to rise, pulsing against a night that’s anything but holy -- Hamilton Cain ― The Washington Post

Kawakami ― the author of titles such as Breasts and Eggs and Heaven ― has crafted another atmospheric, subtly beautiful novel. ― TIME Magazine (A Most Anticipated Book of May 2022)

Kawakami has an effortless way of turning the mundanity of Fuyoko's day-to-day into detailed occasions that I want to know more about . . . Though the everyday is more interesting than you'd think, this is a book that's really about Fuyoko discovering happiness ― Stylist

In contrast to the many suffocating (western) conventions of romantic storytelling, it is refreshing to encounter a book of such irresistible sweet melancholy. ― The Irish Times

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)

The author dazzles with her exploration of emotions . . . An invigorating and empowering portrait. It’s a winner. ― Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Mieko Kawakami has emerged as a literary feminist icon . . . Deftly translated by Sam Bett and
David Boyd, her prose retains the accessibility of a blog, with glimpses of lyricism.

― Financial Times

Mieko Kawakami is the author of the internationally best-selling novel Breasts and Eggs, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and one of TIME’s Best 10 Books of 2020, and the highly-acclaimed Heaven, her second novel to be translated and published in English, which Oprah Daily described as written “with jagged, visceral beauty.” Born in Osaka, Japan, Kawakami made her literary debut as a poet in 2006, and in 2007 published her first novella, My Ego, My Teeth, and the World. Known for their poetic qualities, their insights into the female body, and their preoccupation with ethics and modern society, her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Kawakami’s literary awards include the Akutagawa Prize, the Tanizaki Prize, and the Murasaki Shikibu Prize. She lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Sam Bett studied Japanese at UMass-Amherst and Kwansei Gakuin University. Awarded the Grand Prize in the 2016 JLPP International Translation Competition, he has translated fiction by Yoko Ogawa, Yukio Mishima, and Nisio Isin. He is currently co-translating with David Boyd the novels of Mieko Kawakami.

David Boyd is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is the winner of the 2017/2018 Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature for his translation of Hideo Furukawa’s Slow Boat (Pushkin Press, 2017). With Sam Bett, he is currently co-translating the novels of Mieko Kawakami.