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majorchachi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Gore, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Body horror
green1048's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Pedophilia, Bullying, Rape, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Gore, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
himinotebook's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Sayaka Murata has (at least within the scope of my worldview and experiences) one of the most palpably empathetic understandings of what it means to navigate this world as a woman foremost, but also just a person, who is marginalised by society in some way. She treats societal expectations as almost a sort of body horror-like violence inflicted upon her protagonists, often finding themselves being dragged kicking and screaming to the expectations of marriage, gender roles and especially procreation like escapees of a cult. There is this oppressive feeling echoed by the characters that they know they can run but they can't hide.
In Earthlings, our protagonist Natsuki and her husband conceptualise themselves as sort of rogue agents, aliens on a planet with an almost authoritarian drive towards upholding the nuclear family. Natsuki suffers trauma after trauma as a child, inflicted upon her by the adults around her. She understands the very real cognitive dissonance of how unpersoned and abused living children are in a world that also insists children are the most important thing. She considers this understanding some sort of defect in herself, as very few people around her also seem to see it.
Reading Earthlings, the adage of art disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed rattled around in my head a lot. By the end of the book, when things start taking a sudden turn for the horrific, the meaning I took from this crystallised starkly. Natsuki is able to find self actualisation through deep transgression. In a world that treats her as a tool, a motif that is repeated throughout, not belonging to herself, she does the unthinkable to herself and to other willing (maybe a couple not so willing) participants, and feels autonomous for the first time in her life. Nothing that's ever been done to her was done with her consent, so the only way she can conceptualise freedom is through this, exacting horrors upon herself of her own will. The normalised banal invasiveness and dehumanisation of social pressure is contrasted with literal, visceral violence as if to say "See? This is what it feels like"
With all that said, the writing keeps Murata's whimsical and matter-of-factly dark comedic tone throughout, even through some very affronting scenes and imagery so if you think that might make this one hard to stomach then I don't blame you.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Body horror, Incest, Cannibalism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Physical abuse
readingwithlex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Murder, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Infertility and Infidelity
1mardynga1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicide, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual harassment, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Murder, and Incest
laura_grindey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, Death, and Cannibalism
iheartm4m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Pedophilia, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Acephobia/Arophobia
paulinskiii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Violence, Body horror, Rape, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Just wtf. I don’t know what I just read but it’s fucked up. Excellently written but extremely fucked upvouija's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Body horror, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
auteaandtales's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Saying that, I did enjoy the social commentary about the ‘Factory’ and how our bodies don’t belong to us. I also enjoyed the storytelling via Piyyut and Planet Popinpobopia. Much like I did with Convenience Store Woman, I really related to the main character and I, too, spent my childhood wondering when my ‘real’ family, the aliens, would come and take me back home (although this was told in a much darker way).
I’m sure this will be on my mind for a long time, much in the way Convenience Store Woman was. I would definitely read up on the trigger warnings before diving in, though, even if you don’t usually need them. It’s quite disturbing.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Body horror