All the Lovers in the Night was generally well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist,[2] Kirkus Reviews.[3] and Publishers Weekly.[4]
Kirkus called the novel an "unforgettable and masterful work,"[3] while Booklist referred to it as "[c]andid and searing."[2] Publishers Weekly wrote, "Kawakami turns this study of a 'dictionary definition of a miserable person,' as Fuyuko calls herself, into an invigorating and empowering portrait."[4]
The New York Times Book Review writes, "What makes Kawakami's novel so brilliant is an understanding of why women might willingly adhere to regressive modes of performative femininity, even while they criticize it. The desire to be loved is no small thing ... 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."[5]
The Washington Post wrote, "with this consummate novel, Kawakami's star continues to rise, pulsing against a night that's anything but holy."[6]
Discussing the writing of the novel, Idra Novey, writing for The Atlantic, noted, "Kawakami doesn't just assemble a tactile detail and park it in a scene. Sensation itself drives her scenes, the way the senses can steer a poem ... The startling vividness of Kawakami's images draws the reader deeper into the emotional intensity of the scenes."[7] Shelf Awareness added that the novel's "colloquial, confessional and conversational style and wondrous discourses on the nature of light lend an atmospheric tone devoid of melodrama. By portraying the specific with such intricacy, Kawakami invites all readers in."[8] Financial Times highlighted Kawakami's history as a blogger and poet, saying "her prose retains the accessibility of a blog, with glimpses of lyricism."[9]
Publishers Weekly named All the Lovers in the Night one of the top ten novels of 2022, regardless of genre.[10]
