A review by fox_at_the_circus
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

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

3.75

One of the main themes of this book and all the stories is societal norms and what is considered normal. With some of the stories I really saw the connection to her other two novels. She also likes reusing characters, eg there's a girl that visits her family's house in the countryside in summer in 2 short stories and her book "Earthlings" and there are also two friends that get kinda alternative universe stories. 
A lot of her characters go on a journey of self acceptance in one way or another. Some of them have a weird sense of superiority about their way of living, that kinda went against the message of "there is no normal/everyone is weird in their own way", but maybe that's just the other side of the same coin, trying to say, that everyone judges others on their own standards.
Overall, i have mixed feelings about the collection. I really liked some stories, especially the two about Kikue and Yoshiko. Some stories I totally forgot. And some I didn't enjoy reading that much, mostly the ones that focused a bit too much on bodily fluids for my taste. Definitely check the content warnings beforehand.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings