Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Heaven

I'm not sure what to make of this book. On one hand, I'm glad I've read it, and on the other, I feel like it got a bit too much.

This is a contemporary translated fiction where we meet a couple of 14 year old teens who are targets for their fellow classmates to torment on the daily.

Told through the perspective of 14 year old 'Eyes', comes his story. We don't learn his real name, just his target name, given to him by class bullies. The only other person to understand what he's going through is Kojima, his female classmate. I feel like we need more but from Kojima's side, so we can really understand her perspective and what essentially happens with her character as I felt that was left on a bit of a cliffhanger.

This is a hard-hitting read for the most part, so if bullying and mentions of suicidal thoughts trigger you, it's best to stay clear of this book or go into it with caution.

I wasn't sure I could carry on reading after the first few chapters as it reads very graphically. I decided to take it slow and could only manage a few pages to 1 chapter a day. This is one book I certainly won't be revisiting. I need to lie down after this. 😩

Content Warnings

kirstym25's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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rawan_farrouh02's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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caroisreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a triggering story. It's unrelenting in its descriptions of bullying. As with all her novels, Mieko Kawakami writes so beautifully about tragedy and loneliness, and our humanity that's so capable of both destruction and healing. This is her most depressing pair of characters yet, two brave outcasts, not yet high schoolers.

Our narrator is a young boy who has a lazy eye, the victim of intense bullying and physical violence from the popular students. His fellow student Kojima reaches out to him one day through a letter, and she is revealed to be a similar victim of bullying, and is described to be unkempt and unwashed. Their friendship grows through sweet and simple letters, and soon conversations outside of school. In contrast, we experience their helplessness, as they are shells of themselves at school, bracing for the beatings each day.

There is a conversation with one of the bullies, who proves to be a complete nihilist. He symbolizes the cold, emotionless, male antagonist who's all too familiar in our lives. It's every man for himself. Empathy is weakness. Kill or be killed.

I can't praise enough Mieko's artistry, and her way of pulling us through emotions, and the confusion her characters feel. She is THE master of female characters, as always. I especially loved Kojima and her strength, her frailty, her intelligence, her heart. I wanted to save her, though she was saving herself.

You'll appreciate this book if you like dark, intricate writing and characters, coming-of-age stories, and have been in an isolated period of your life.

Content Warnings

mimi_jaja's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This gave me flashbacks to reading DNA in school

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hooliagoolia197's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.5

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