Reviews

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

honeyycomb's review against another edition

I wasn't feeling it at first, which is why I DNF'D this book. But now that I'm really thinking about it, I could give it another go.

To anyone reading or has read this book, I suggest listening to Elephant by Bôa to get into the scenery. You have the visual part covered for you, now you have the audio paired up with it.

nadj's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

illiterate_03's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

annaelenah's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars.

This was very intense. I had to drag myself through the first half but the second half was deeply unsettling honestly. I've never felt genuinely anxious while reading a book but it happened. The book had me in its grip in some strange way. I don't know what I expected before reading it but this was for sure not it. I'm not sure what to think since I am pretty fascinated by the author being able to write something this unsettling. I'm impressed but I don't know whether I'd recommend this book to every person I'll meet.

madelinew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

poorlywordedbookreviews's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 𝙸𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗, 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗-𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚣𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎. 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝙺𝚘𝚓𝚒𝚖𝚊, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜. 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛

   

What a bizarre book. The children are all unbelievably articulate philosophers, so if realism is your bag, beware. I don’t know Japanese culture well enough to know when the total absence of adults, the drive for conformity, and the hyperstoic silent suffering is veering from realistic to point making stylistic choice - and this made me alternate wildly between confusion, rage, frustration. 

   

It deftly captures certain aspects of bullying, related to the how, why, the impact and the reaction to.  Of the two MCs, Kojimo’s arc rang as more complete and nuanced. There are some heart-rendingly accurate vignettes on the isolation, and the consumptive dangers of identifying with your suffering in certain ways. But the psychopathic nature of the main bullies felt lazy, most bullying is done by far less disassociated individuals. I also felt it really needed to spend some time on how the bullying starts, that insidious creep of power imbalances, the way self preservation tactics become subverted and used against people. It felt like it’s philosophising was purely on the outcome not the process, which might have been the aim, but isn’t as meaningful out of context. 

   

As a prompt to think about morality, bullying, submission, personal agency and control, it’s a great book. As a story of the main character’s arc it felt hollow behind the surface, intense, sadness - meaning it unfortunately gave me echoes of misery porn at times. 

   

Am I glad I read it? Yes. Should you read it? Probably. Did I enjoy it? No. I just don’t think I can vibe with the nihilism. 

alyskarstark's review

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

booksbyleen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

2.75

the_alexeli's review against another edition

Can't decide on a rating for this. But it was impactful in multiple ways.

vrnxca_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Mieko Kawakami has crafted a hauntingly beautiful novel that pulls you into a world of pain, sadness, and a strange kind of hopeful despair. At first glance, it might seem like a straightforward tale, but it delves deeply into the complexities of adolescence and the cruelty that often shadows it.

The book grapples with the idea of suffering—whether it’s something we should accept or resist. It poses tough questions without offering easy answers, making it a story that will linger with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

*Heaven* is quietly devastating, offering a profound and introspective exploration of pain, resilience, and the search for meaning in a harsh world. If you’re drawn to stories that challenge you emotionally and make you think, this one’s an absolute must-read. My complain? I wanted more.