Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

127 reviews

azlanm's review

challenging dark medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

Don't let the fluffy front cover fool you. This is a deeply harrowing and strange little book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Incest

laurahopp's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• 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

Wtf did I just read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Murder, and Cannibalism

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

doogsley's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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

3.5

shocking, harrowing, and sickening. i loved the simplicity of the writing - i think it added a layer of casual absurdity that edged up the book’s fear factor.

please consult this book’s content warnings before diving in; i had no idea what was lurking in the depths of earthlings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

joelle99's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

guys I think sayaka muraka feels alienated and isolated from society... just a wild guess 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

addysbaird's review against another edition

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

laurenc26's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, and Adult/minor relationship

This entire book is wild. Be ready for literally anything, especially as you near the end.

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault

rorunyon96's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

It takes so much for me to be thinking about a book for hours after I read it. This really got to me it messed me up...in exactly the way I want.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Physical abuse, Incest, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping, Body horror, Gore, Bullying, Pregnancy, and Blood

roskoff's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.5

Extremely well written but also extremely difficult to read, painful, deeply disturbing, horrifying, near traumatic. I couldn’t put it down, but I felt sick the entire time and afterwards. I’m glad I read it now that I have some distance from it but if you’d have asked me immediately after I finished the book, I’d say I regretted it. But it accomplishes what it sets out to do as a book, which I think is to convey alongside its meanings a feeling of utter distress and discomfort, to force readers into a position like the protagonist’s. It’s a horrible and sickening life and you feel it yourself. So, not an enjoyable reading experience, but a powerful one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual violence, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis