Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Life Ceremony

Some of the stories had endings that felt a little unfinished to me, but this was a thought-provoking and intriguing read, if a little disturbing at times, diving into topics like cannibalism and appreciating smells of things normally considered revolting. Prepare to be challenged on what you've accepted as "normal."

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cato_mertens's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I thought this was a very interesting read. The short stories are peculiar and they make you think about consumerism, killing animals as well as our practices and ceremonies. Sayaka Murata is a wonderful author with a brilliant mind.

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lovelybookshelf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed Sayaka Murata's previous two books, so I was excited about this short story collection. I love short stories! But LIFE CEREMONY was hit or miss for me. Mostly miss.

The only story I enjoyed from start to finish was "Eating the City," on finding nature (in this case, edible nature) between the gaps of concrete of a large city—but with a twist of horror. And as horrifying as it was, the title story, "Life Ceremony," stayed in my mind long after I finished it, as I mulled over how customs can change so drastically from generation to generation, and where we draw lines between right and wrong.

Overall, though, I'm disappointed. I'm not all that squeamish, but large portions of this book were so gross that I ended up skimming or even skipping pages. (Think bodily fluids and human flesh-type gross.) All of the stories are super weird—which I usually find delightful!—but it fell flat here. I was bored so much of the time. I kept reading only because of how much I'd enjoyed her other books. I'm not sure it was worth it.

If you end up giving this book a try, all I can recommend is, don't read it while eating. 😱

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sgonzo's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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andatherrin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

Buckle up, because Murata is going to take you for a ride in this collection of short stories. They’re just as provocative as her previous works in the way they openly challenge societal norms. I can definitely see how Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings came to be from some of these stories (especially Earthlings).

Like many short story collections, I found some more engaging than others. I also thought the longer stories were far more interesting, but that’s likely because Murata had more space to develop her ideas—

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kavarnistka's review against another edition

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reflective medium-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

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