Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

51 reviews

svimm2056's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

One of the darkest books I read in 2023. The author doesn't shy away from horrific things that the MC and crew go through, while also having an almost-dreamlike presence, like an out-of-body experience. At the same time, the book has a big emphasis on gender roles and how society pressures people into following said roles, which does more harm than good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Body horror, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Incest, Gore, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Violence

yasmin_raev's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Gore, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Rape, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, Incest, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity and Fatphobia

sylvivresavie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

It is rare to have a work so deeply resonate with me and my distinct perception of the world, my autistic sense of alienation from other women and from society. I deal with so much pressure to conform to "the factory", but it eludes me, will always elude me. I am constructed differently, constructed from the stardust of a remote galaxy. One day, perhaps, something will descend from the sky to take me home.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Murder, Incest, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide and Infidelity

empearl1's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity

skyeuqx's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Violence, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Physical abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexism, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Excrement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual harassment

jpn99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Infidelity

fairygodfish's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-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

4.75

The only thing stopping me from giving this a full five stars is how uncomfortable the first two chapters made me feel. But I also don’t think this story could have been told without it. And I think I’m glad this story was told. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Cannibalism, Incest, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Vomit, and Gore

Minor: Infidelity, Infertility, and Death of parent

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

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

3.0

I can’t decide whether this is a chilling indictment on collectivist society’s imperative to conform, the lack of supports provided to traumatized peoples, and the profound effects of formative trauma, or whether it is a chilling indictment on the lack of supports provided to traumatized peoples, the profound effects of formative trauma, and a cautionary fable about the need for both support and societal control because otherwise people go off and do absolutely bonkers things. </spoilers>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Suicide attempt, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, Alcohol, Bullying, Infidelity, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

CW: before going in, this book is very unsettling and deals with horror, trauma, and sexual abuse.

This is a book I read as part of book club. I seem to have been the first to finish it, probably because I started it before the month technically started (and my timezone favours me too). Set in Japan, it tells the story of a woman who approaches life quite differently from other people. She is traumatised as a child and this also affects how she interprets things happening around her as she grows to womanhood. The story is told in 2 timelines, childhood and adulthood.

The story starts out as though it's a serious critique of culture but by the end of the book has devolved into a complete mess of horror and depravity that seems deliberately contrived to unsettle the reading audience. It also seems to have less of a grip on reality at the end and disappointingly bibbles off into impossibilities. I was prepared to suspend disbelief and I would have been very happy for things to have become some fluffy candy fantasy, but instead it veered in a much more darkly destructive direction.

Three main characters each seem to have lived scarred lives, and it seems like the author blames most of those woes on their mothers. I don't know if this is just misogynistic internalisation, or a critique of the treatment of women in Japanese society. There is a lot of critique... some of which is valid, and some which is pretty much destructive nonsense.

I'm not sure if the messy disaster that is the end of the book is supposed to be a reinforcement of the necessity of social controls, or just a flight of dark fancy given gory wings and teeth. I tend to think that it's mostly the latter, and if this is supposed to be a sensible discussion about the oppressive nature of a coercive culture that demands that people force themselves to marry and procreate to meet the needs of the societal Factory, then there are better ways to have that conversation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Vomit, Sexism, Violence, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

nniamhh's review against another edition

dark medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Rape, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity