Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

241 reviews

auteaandtales's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I don’t think ‘enjoyed’ is really the right word for this. I have a weak stomach so, a lot of the time, I was disgusted and it was a difficult and challenging read. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

lblackburn04's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Incest, Cannibalism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide

mitzimimi's review

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide

bocker_enligt_angelica's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Murder

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

rachjy's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, and Incest

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

mijtje's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• 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

2.5

This book is Convenience Store Woman on steroids. The same theme, basically the same protagonist and the same husband. Only this one is totally unhinged. 

First quarter: almost DNF’ed because of explicitly described sexual abuse of a child. I firmly believe this should not be in a book. I hate when something like this is described in detail; I don’t need to spend 5 minutes reading about it to know how horrible it is. It is also such a serious theme that it felt inappropriate to read about it in such a weird, almost playful manner. The same goes for the victim shaming later on in the book.

The rest felt like a Grocery Store Woman do-over, but then with an alien instead of a grocery store woman.

And then came the last quarter of the book. THAT was the kind of insane absurdity I was looking for. Redeemed the book a little bit, even got it up to 3 stars, and made it feel very different from The Grocery Woman.

ALL THE TRIGGER WARNINGS THOUGH. Seriously. This book is easily the weirdest I have ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Gore

jen_abrahall's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Cannibalism

Moderate: Incest and Suicide

cozeebee's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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? N/A

4.5

4.5 ✰ ... I think??

I don't know what to think. After reading the essay at the end of the novel, I'm a little... concerned?

It was gripping and incredibly well written although I had to cringe away at most parts in the main character Natsumi's childhood. It was messed up.

I much rather the middle part of the book, when she becomes an adult and learning about her partnership with Tomoya, if that's the proper word to call it. 

I just felt generally uncomfortable during this read, but also could not put the book down. Only times I took true breaks were in the beginning. I needed to find out what happened in the end. I accidentally got a spoiler for what was to come, so I kind of guessed what would happen. Though, it didn't shock me any less.

It's funny, because I assumed it would be like The Convenience Store Woman, and had no idea it would be a horror novel until I started to get to the disturbing parts. Truly a shocking novel.

Although there were a lot of shocking parts to Earthlings, everything had a meaning. It didn't seem senseless. There was a clear message behind this story. The after effects of trauma, how the body and mind react to the PTSD and the actions taken afterwards, or sometimes lack of action, were explored in such an unconventional way, but somehow didn't seem as foreign as one might think. 

It's hard to give it a rating due to some of the subject matter. For writing alone I would give it a 4.5 stars.

Would I recommend this to anyone? No, I would not. 

Someone would have to happen upon it themselves as I did and let curiosity get the better of them.

I would recommend looking up any content warnings before reading. It is quite graphic in more ways than one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Gore, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Murder

addysbaird's review

dark funny sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Body horror, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Suicide, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content

mickeyy670's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.0

I cried so much for that little girl in the first three chapters but GIRL the switchup! The unexpected road this story takes!!
This is by far one of the weirdest books I have read, and it only took me 2 - 3 hours to read.
The book gives a really good perspective but if I recommend someone to read it and they don't understand they might think my heads not right.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Suicide, Incest, and Violence