Scan barcode
shirumoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
The main character is kind of running in circles, no matter how much time passes. Sure, might have been a deliberate choice and trauma does stifle your development but the main character's struggling just felt redundant at some point. Also what I generally fail to relate to is that endless enduring of
To be honest, I'm not quite sure whether I struggled more with the idea of the book itself or with the execution? It just didn't feel new and revelatory to me, just not really a deeper message there beneath that one layer of critizising society. Nicely written nevertheless and it had good pacing.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Body horror, Cannibalism, Incest, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, Physical abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Infertility
ji_reads'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? Yes
4.0
I read "Convenience Store Woman" a couple years ago, which I enjoyed. While this book was more grotesque, I do see a lot of similar themes of alienation and relationships in Japanese society.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
Moderate: Body horror and Cannibalism
Minor: Incest
fishreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was through the worst of it and I could even see some parallels with 'Convenience Store Woman' with the characters struggling with the pressures of society to conform to its rules. I was still telling myself that reaching the end will be worth it for sure.
Except, with so little of the story left, the plot took a turn towards grotesque. The ending was completely batshit crazy. I was wrong, this was not worth it at all.
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Murder, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Incest, Pedophilia, Gore, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Suicide
roesalow's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
elizabeth159's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Incest, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
sohva'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Cannibalism, Violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Incest, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent
fantomina'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
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Incest, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault
bookemrocko'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, and Cannibalism
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