Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

158 reviews

shuvtterbug's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I genuinely enjoyed this so much and I do think it may be because of how partial I am towards Sayaka Murata and her writing style. While certain stories were a bit eerie they evoked such a strong emotion in me. It’s hard for me to stop reading with Murata’s works. I especially felt that the story hatchling was one I related to the most. While I feel that there’s a real me I often am unsure of which this one is. I encourage anyone to take a stab at at least one of these short stories if not the entire collection.
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afternoonlight's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced
weird, often disgusting, but surprisingly funny. 
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wordsareworlds's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

A solid anthology, Murata uses a lot of extremely weird and unsettling elements as a way to comment on life and society. I enjoyed it, but felt like some of the stories were really heavy handed in their commentary, rather than letting the reader infer anything. 

Not all the stories were weird in a body horror/dealing with mortality way. One was about a love triangle between a girl, her boyfriend, and a sentient curtain hanging in her room, and I did really enjoy that one. My favorite overall was Puzzle. None of them were a complete miss, but there was one (or two nested together) about the ways the relationship between two women could have gone that were the most "normal" but also the least interesting in how they flowed with the rest of the anthology.

There are elements of gender essentialism I find on par with most other Japanese literature I've read, but I don't think it really veers into anti-queer or anti-trans sentiment.

I'd recommend this to people who are looking for the literary version of Black Mirror that deals with society and mortality using bodies and extreme personalities instead of technology. 
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wholelotofweird's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-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

Like with any short story collection there are some that really hit and some that are just kinda okay. 

But, if you liked Earthlings this collection is perfect. Murata really nails the feelings of isolation and alienation, and manages to make familiar experiences and feelings surreal. 
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rishika_10_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A

3.75

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sydthewitch's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

This is an incredibly thought provoking book. Simultaneously bizarre and mundane. If you want plot, this isn't it, but if you are philosophically inclined, you'll more than get your money's worth. 

(I will say one of the stories was completely unreadable for me as someone with sensory sensitivities.) 
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grape_jelly's review against another edition

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A little too unsettling for the pick-me-up book I was looking to read. That being said, I can appreciate the author’s deliberate choices in probing at the reader’s limits.
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jasminrain's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is easily one of the strangest books I've read in my life. The content of the stories and where they are heading is completely unexpected and their content varies from reflective pieces to some of the most bizarre literature I have come across. There are absolutely amazing stories that break the boundaries of imagination, but also quite a few stories that just make you go "meh". I enjoyed parts of it but I don't think I'll return to the author. 
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serenspace's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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kimapede's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
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