This was a great little novella! I'm fascinated by liminal spaces (and so are many other people), and this book captures the essence of those spaces very well. In this novella, the night is a metaphor for liminality, and all of the behaviors that it can catalyze. You can let your guard down; you can become someone else; you can escape your problems; you can become violent; you can become vulnerable; you can have realizations.

I've always preferred the night for that reason myself. My friends tease for waking up in the early afternoon. But I think it's so interesting that the earth becomes a totally different place when it's dark outside, even though geographically we may simply stay in the same spot.

This novella is my first experience reading Murakami, and I have to say, it was rather impressive. It's obvious to me that Hemingway is one of his literary influences, because his ability to economize his descriptive writing is on the same level. I like this style of writing, but in this story, I almost feel like I wanted more. For example, in my opinion, Shirakawa is one of the book's most interesting characters, but we only get a little insight as to why he behaves in the way that he does. I also would have loved to know a little more about Kaoru and Korogi, because their characters were interesting enough to have their own vignettes.

On the other hand, I think that Murakami purposely leaves these characters' stories to our imaginations, because people in liminal spaces have a certain mystique to them. I think the ending of this novella is rather beautiful, though, because it demonstrates that a lack of vulnerability comes at a cost for all parties involved. As they say, the best disinfectant is sunlight. Four stars.