Review by angorarabbit - Earthlings

angorarabbit 's review for:

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

4.0

challenging dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

TLDR: Very good book, major trigger warnings.

Context: I thought I’d read a short novel after finally finishing Dahlgren. The cover is cute. The blurb is interesting, a nice coming of age story of a Japanese woman. Nice and light.

I was not ready for chapter 2 (the book is short, 6 chapters). Chapter 6 though was downright mind crushing.

Ms Murata is a very good writer. I have read books where children are abused before. Never have I read a book where the author describes the disassociation and alienation that can be caused by that abuse so truly. She takes you to the edge, then a little more. You really can’t leave until she is done with you.

I will be thinking about chapter 6 for a long time. End of life hallucination or reality?

I will read more of Ms Murata’s fiction, just not right after finishing something akin to Dahlgren, if I can help it, and with more attention to trigger warnings.

Content Warnings