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sandymcosta's review against another edition
4.0
...
Man, that was quite a novel. I usually like recommending books to people as soon as I finish them, but I'm going to need to be REALLY careful about who I recommend this to.
Man, that was quite a novel. I usually like recommending books to people as soon as I finish them, but I'm going to need to be REALLY careful about who I recommend this to.
jeonhui's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Incest, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Rape
mcrome04's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Cannibalism, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
mcdsweetea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maggierish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Read the content warnings! The cover and quote on the front make this out to be lighthearted, but it gets dark fast. By the end you’ll be sitting in silence thinking about what you’ve just read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Body horror, Cannibalism, Murder, Gore, Sexual assault, and Incest
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit and Suicide
jabumble's review against another edition
TW: sexueller Kindesmissbrauch
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
bookswithnicole's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t go into this book knowing how grotesque it was, but I liked the commentary on societal pressures and norms as well as the extreme escapism. Super fucked up. 5 stars.
slavicguy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
livyalusk's review against another edition
5.0
Sayaka Murata is a brilliant author who consistently manages to to break down the human mind and the societies it has created into its bare essentials using provocative, unfiltered, gritty subject matter. Earthlings resonates with me as it is about autonomy and understanding, the two things I would say we crave most as humans.
I often praise books for having a unique character voice, and Earthlings is a strong example of this. Natsuki has a worldview utterly unlike other narrator, yet is so grounded in humanity that it is very easy to understand her in her madness. In the chapters that are told from her younger voice, the slightly unreliable nature of it and the ways she copes with confusing situations are especially impressive.
My favourite subject due to how little it is explored despite its potential for use as an anthropological study, is cannibalism. Murata has approached this on multiple occasions, and hers are written well and for the best purposes. I have read a lot of cannibalism stories by many authors, but the way it is written in Earthlings may just be my favourite. Earthlings and her short story Life Ceremony seem to look at society in a similar way, yet give their instances of cannibalism almost opposite purposes, however both work extremely well. I just love the way it is looked at in Earthlings because it is the way I see it (definitely going to get arrested for this but I ASSURE YOU I HAVE NOT DONE IT) and it means a lot to me to read it in this way.
I often praise books for having a unique character voice, and Earthlings is a strong example of this. Natsuki has a worldview utterly unlike other narrator, yet is so grounded in humanity that it is very easy to understand her in her madness. In the chapters that are told from her younger voice, the slightly unreliable nature of it and the ways she copes with confusing situations are especially impressive.
My favourite subject due to how little it is explored despite its potential for use as an anthropological study, is cannibalism. Murata has approached this on multiple occasions, and hers are written well and for the best purposes. I have read a lot of cannibalism stories by many authors, but the way it is written in Earthlings may just be my favourite. Earthlings and her short story Life Ceremony seem to look at society in a similar way, yet give their instances of cannibalism almost opposite purposes, however both work extremely well. I just love the way it is looked at in Earthlings because it is the way I see it (definitely going to get arrested for this but I ASSURE YOU I HAVE NOT DONE IT) and it means a lot to me to read it in this way.