Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

76 reviews

jovanas_cloud's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.0

 It was underwhelming and anticlimactic.

I feel Kojima is the biggest contributor to the things I didn't like in the book. Her philosophy of Heaven, her philosophy on why they're being bullied, her reasons for being dirty, etc. To explain further, I don't understand what she wanted to say with renaming the painting because the actual name felt underwhelming. Her philosophy that they're being bullied because they're allowing it, is true to some extent because they never tried to fight back (which was easier for her to fix). The reason for being dirty, would be a great topic if she got some kind of help.

I understand she misses her dad but not performing basic hygiene like showering, washing clothes or just not being dirty in general because she's trying to be closer to her dad who is dirt poor and away working hard, IS A HUGE PROBLEM. It is such a serious problem that she even starts starving herself by the end of the book. I just refuse to believe that her mom didn't intervene in all like she must've smelled her at one point.

 

Another nonsensical thing I would like to bring up is the nihilistic conversation between the MC and Momose. First of all, not only is so dumb but the big words and theories these 14 year olds are using just seems very unlikely to happen. Like yeah it makes sense that a bully doesn't see why it's wrong to bully others but to have such big philosophy and so many points??

The culmination - I was just waiting for something big and dramatic to happen, it was always so close until it happened and the consequences were anticlimactic. 

All that happened at the Whale park with Ninomiya bullying them to strip and have sex, and after that Kojima never interacts with the MC again because he wants to get surgery for his eye?? Again she is clinging to the past and to what's comforting to her even if it makes her and other's miserable. She's disappointed because he's doing something to have an easier and more comfortable life when she could do the same more easily and cheaply too.

The last chapter was really underwhelming. I was hoping to get some more results with what happened at school, with Kojima, Ninomiya, and Momose, but got nothing of that sort. Just MC moving forward with his new sight.

I love bullying and trauma bonding works Kawakami somehow managed to get nothing done. The friendship felt rather shallow most of the time, except the gym scene 

where they were wiping MC's blood after he got kicked so hard in the head multiple times because he was a ball.

If only Kawakami went deeper and harder, this would've been much better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Eating disorder

Minor: Death

For moderate, ED is not because of issues with body images but a way of coping for the character. Suicidal thoughts are mentioned several times.

pipe_dream's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, Bullying, Blood, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts

caroisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

This is a triggering story. It's unrelenting in its descriptions of bullying. As with all her novels, Mieko Kawakami writes so beautifully about tragedy and loneliness, and our humanity that's so capable of both destruction and healing. This is her most depressing pair of characters yet, two brave outcasts, not yet high schoolers.

Our narrator is a young boy who has a lazy eye, the victim of intense bullying and physical violence from the popular students. His fellow student Kojima reaches out to him one day through a letter, and she is revealed to be a similar victim of bullying, and is described to be unkempt and unwashed. Their friendship grows through sweet and simple letters, and soon conversations outside of school. In contrast, we experience their helplessness, as they are shells of themselves at school, bracing for the beatings each day. 

There is a conversation with one of the bullies, who proves to be a complete nihilist. He symbolizes the cold, emotionless, male antagonist who's all too familiar in our lives. It's every man for himself. Empathy is weakness. Kill or be killed. 

I can't praise enough Mieko's artistry, and her way of pulling us through emotions, and the confusion her characters feel. She is THE master of  female characters, as always. I especially loved Kojima and her strength, her frailty, her intelligence, her heart. I wanted to save her, though she was saving herself.

You'll appreciate this book if you like dark, intricate writing and characters, coming-of-age stories, and have been in an isolated period of your life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Bullying, and Body shaming

Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

mimi_jaja's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This gave me flashbacks to reading DNA in school

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Eating disorder

llorona's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

I would describe this as beautifully raw, painful, dark and melancholy. 

Mieko Kawakami’s writing style is simply art. I greatly enjoyed the book despite it truly breaking my heart. I loved this book so much and the absolute tenderness in which the characters are written to life as complex, flawed beings with often conflicting, selfish, broken, HUMAN ideas and identities. It’s incredibly sad and raw and a surprisingly short read. I felt super reflective after reading this book. A great view into a perspective I had never considered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

plumblossom_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

fairytomie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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

4.25

This book truly ripped my heart out. This is my introduction to Kawakami’s work and i’m in love with how poetic her writing is. 

Justice for these characters and the fact we don’t know what happened to Kojima is so heart-wrenching.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Ableism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Death

saoreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

This is an odd book; as I see it, it brings out perspectives worth reflecting on, but I find it infuriating that no justice was done. Being seen as different should not be a reason to be treated awfully, simply because they wanted to? It was hypocritical at most and selfish at best. They stuck to their own definitions, but it's frustrating to read something that seems to offer insight but provides nothing at the same time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Body shaming, Bullying, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content

rockmelon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

listen, if there's a hell, we're in it. and if there's a heaven, we're already there. this is it.

unhappamine & nihilismapamine 
with a touch of happamine & reflectpamine

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Blood, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Minor: Eating disorder

roosmarleen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Blood, Vomit, Body shaming, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Excrement, Emotional abuse, and Confinement