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el219's review
5.0
soo many people saying this is so imaginative & weird/disturbing & funny when all of this (minus the last 30ish pages) happens so often & is so sad :(
this book was so incredibly sad - natsuki’s dissociative tendencies & coping strategies were described in such a subtle and casual(?) way that made me sob, & unlike some reviews I’ve read, the characters don’t become hard to empathize with in their adult lives,, the way their childhoods affected the rest of their lives felt realistic rather than “disturbing” or “unnecessarily weird.” the relief and comfort they felt in identifying as aliens was v realistic too idc!! (don’t get me wrong their actions at the end of the novel were insane LOL but I hope u get my point) i felt increasingly more sad as the story went on and felt relieved for them when they all started to unmask and heal,, natsuki & tomoya’s marriage proved how being with “your own kind” or simply with someone accommodating can be completely freeing,, reading about them being happy living non-conforming lives was sooo validating too ~
my only question is is ms murata okay bcause some of these descriptions felt a little too real and concerningly relatable,, i luv her little asd coded characters even when they are a lil crazy ฅ(•ㅅ•)ฅ
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit and Stalking
cuteling'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
TW FOR THIS BOOK: pedophilia, domestic abuse, rape, incest, cannibalism, murder
The story is about a little girl named Natsuki, who is 11 at the beginning of the book and who is verbally and sometimes physically abused by her own mother and sister, and overlooked by her father.
As the story unravels, we are presented with pedophilia, incest, domestic abuse, murder, cannibalism but also the delusion of a little girl unable to cope with everything coming her way. Because of this, Natsuki seems to be under the impression that her plush hedgehog Piyyut, that she's bought with her own money when she was only 6 years old, is an alien from a planet called Popinbopibia, talking to her and giving her magical items that help her deal with feelings so great they don't fit inside her fragile little body.
Piyyut tells her that she's the only one who can save the Earth and that's why she has to do certain things (to avoid spoilers i won't elaborate any further), but in reality she's taking desperate measures in order to save herself.
Deeper into the story we follow Natsukis desperate journey to be, once again just as in the other two books, accepted by the "Factory" (that is what she calls the society) until the very end of her sanity.
Overall I recommend this book just would suggest reading it third with the order being
Life Ceremony (it gives you the best idea of what kind of a writer Sayaka Murata is, in my opinion)
-> Convenience Store Woman (shorter, milder compared to the other two, cleanses your pallet)
-> Earthlings (the most disturbing and strange of the three, HUGE TW for: pedophilia, incest, cannibalism, rape, domestic abuse, murder).
The book is very well written and never had me bored and i was surprised at just how explicitly described some of the scenes were.
I give it 4.5/5 ★, making it my favorite of the three.
Graphic: Incest, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
kibiiiariii's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Abandonment, Death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Cursing, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
leenutbutter's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Pedophilia, Death, Genocide, Stalking, Suicide, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
dilfpercyshelley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i think, perhaps, the aspect that the negative reviewers are missing from their experience is the whole point of the story. sure, it touches on everything revolting you could conjure and, subsequently, that may make it an uncomfortable read. However, you simply have to read it as if you are also not human. I thoroughly enjoyed detaching myself from society for a few days to relish in the disgust and revolt, and i think that’s why i loved it so much.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Incest, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit and Stalking
jelian_casapao's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Cannibalism, Incest, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
hilarylouise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Incest, Death, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: Stalking
Victim blamingclemeslibrary's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Incest, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Stalking
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It does a great job of exploring trauma and how it effects the main character. For the most part I found myself agreeing with the main character and how she critisises society and its boundaries. But then the book pretty suddenly becomes even dark and horrifying, and even makes you question yourself for agreeing. The open end leaves you really unsettled, it's great horror.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Sexism, Blood, and Mental illness
Minor: Stalking
stitchbooks22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Blood, Death, Incest, and Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Infertility, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Stalking