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mellbutrin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Murata tells a horrifying, yet beautifully written, story of Natsuki, an elementary school student, experiencing sexual abuse from her teacher and emotional and physical abuse from her close family. To cope with this abuse, Natsuki creates a magical system and imagines herself as an alien wizard, distinct from the "Earthlings" around her.
As a grown woman, Natsuki's belief that she is an alien only intensifies, a consequence of her husband believing in both her fantasies and her description of society as a "Factory" for reproducing and working. This folie à deux encourages the couple to perform despicable acts in order to escape the "Factory" and distinguish themselves from "Earthlings."
Natsuki is vividly brought out as a character. She is compellingly sympathetic, and though Natsuki's actions frequently go against social taboos, Murata’s careful exploration of Natsuki’s philosophy and psychology makes it easy to understand why she performs them.
I cannot recommend this book to anyone. However, for those who can endure painfully explicit scenes of sexual and physical abuse, suicidal ideation, incest, and cannibalism, this book offers a worthwhile portrayal of self-discovery and survival, along with decent social commentary.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Blood, Cannibalism, Incest, Rape, Murder, Violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Suicide
nutsacktragedy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
No book has ever made my skin crawl like with Earthlings. I almost DNF'd it because I was so close to vomiting at certain parts of the story. Natsuki's inability to cope with her trauma and how everyone around her dismisses her are maddening.
The writing is a bit disconnected, but I don't know if that's intentional or an unfortunate consequence of translation. It works well, though, knowing Natsuki's overall detachment from everything. It's blunt, and it doesn't shy away from telling stuff as it is, which is somewhat comforting given the insanity happening in the book. But it's also unpleasant, because some scenes are hard to stomach.
PLEASE read the content warnings.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Murder, Rape, Incest, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death
loudonuts'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Murder, Cannibalism, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
xyvo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Incest
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Death, and Bullying
strange_abalone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have no idea what to rate this…. I have no idea what I just read… a brilliant depiction of society and trauma…. But also, what did I just read?????
Reaction after sitting with it for a day:
I think the initial reaction is to be stunned, and that makes a lot of sense, it’s a very diabolical read. But a lot of the reviews here seem to be shocked by the nature of the book without exploring more into what ideas are being presented. It’s deranged to make a point, and in that way it is exceptional. The “factory” and popinpobopians are concepts that will sit with me forever.
Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts
grrrlbrarian'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Incest, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body horror, Vomit, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol
silvasketches's review against another edition
If you're considering reading this book, please take a moment to read the trigger warnings first. Don't make the same mistake I did and dive in blindly. I managed to get through 32% of it, but it was too much for me to handle.
I previously enjoyed another book by this author, the convenience store one, and I adored the main character. She was incredibly interesting. However, the male character in this book made the reading experience unpleasant for me, although I did enjoy the other aspects of the story. I hoped this one would be better.
Initially, I was drawn to the innocence of the main character and the magical girl/ alien elements in this book, so I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I was quickly bombarded with trigger after trigger. I attempted to continue reading, but the content related to school was simply overwhelming.
I'm hopeful that I'll be able to forget what I read soon.
Graphic: Incest, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death
glassflowrr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Sexual content, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Death, Gore, Body horror, Bullying, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Alcohol, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Body shaming
fyre_flies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cannibalism, Incest, and Rape
Moderate: Death
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