Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - Earthlings

It was recommended to be a book where you finish and think "What the fuck did i just read" and I can say, this really holds true.
I want to add tho, that this book is incredibly dark on a psychological level through and through and i was really caught off guard.
I also would have wished for a more interesting end.
Still, it held what it promised. I would recommend if you‘re looking for an unusual read.

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dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I can’t decide whether this is a chilling indictment on collectivist society’s imperative to conform, the lack of supports provided to traumatized peoples, and the profound effects of formative trauma, or whether it is a chilling indictment on the lack of supports provided to traumatized peoples, the profound effects of formative trauma, and a cautionary fable about the need for both support and societal control because otherwise people go off and do absolutely bonkers things. </spoilers>

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manybooksnoa's review against another edition

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2.0

well written but horrible, check the content warnings!

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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

2.0

I don't understand why people are calling this "funny" and "hilarious". It's more appalling, really. It is about someone at odds with the world, but unlike Murata's Convenience Store Woman, this book is not peaceful or content.

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fedelikeslego's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Unlike Convenience store woman, which I hated and couldn’t keep myself to finish it, I liked this. I read it in one sitting and I’m giving it 4 stars just because I enjoyed reading it.

I’m so confused I feel like I’m high. That’s what it feels like at the end of the “experience ”. I felt so high that their discussions had perfectly made sense.

I think that the book could be divided in two parts:

The first ⅓ of the book. Here incest and rape/pedophilia were extremely explicit and I’m not sure I liked that. Even if the love story between the kids was so cute (they were so innocent it didn’t “bothered me that much”), I don’t think that it was necessary to explicitly write for pages about all the sexual intercourses that the protagonist had. It was too much.

The last ⅔ of the book. This part was a bit more enjoyable, and it’s more centred about what it means to live in this world and in particular in Japan. Murata definitely makes a perfect description of the Japanese society (it would probably make sense only if you lived in Japan or a similar asian country), it’s just so sad and frustrating. In the last chapter, as i said, I felt like I was high. I’m still trying to process what I red. I’m just confused, nothing else.

Movie reccomendation: The Holy mountain (1973), I felt the same way reading the book and watching the movie. Different plot, different settings, same vibes.

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esthersshelf's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is a character portrait of 3 people who experience childhood abuse to varying degrees. They dissociate together and create a new reality. However, the abuse is vividly described and not at all dream or fantasy like, except when they dissociate. It’s unflinching and disturbing. The author writes with precision and expertly handles the child’s point of view. This is told from the point of view of one woman with significant trauma so there are no good characters here. This is probably the most unsettling book I’ve ever read. Have you read Lolita and thought to yourself, I wish this was more disgusting and tragic? This book is for you. 5 stars but I’ll never read it again and I might sell my copy to keep it from my kids.

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behemoths_spawn's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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ra22ouille's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was hard to read. The subject matter was difficult on an emotional level. Super interesting exploration of social conformity, sex and bodies, and particularly girls' bodily autonomy.

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