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A review by poorlywordedbookreviews
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
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What a bizarre book. The children are all unbelievably articulate philosophers, so if realism is your bag, beware. I donβt know Japanese culture well enough to know when the total absence of adults, the drive for conformity, and the hyperstoic silent suffering is veering from realistic to point making stylistic choice - and this made me alternate wildly between confusion, rage, frustration.
It deftly captures certain aspects of bullying, related to the how, why, the impact and the reaction to. Of the two MCs, Kojimoβs arc rang as more complete and nuanced. There are some heart-rendingly accurate vignettes on the isolation, and the consumptive dangers of identifying with your suffering in certain ways. But the psychopathic nature of the main bullies felt lazy, most bullying is done by far less disassociated individuals. I also felt it really needed to spend some time on how the bullying starts, that insidious creep of power imbalances, the way self preservation tactics become subverted and used against people. It felt like itβs philosophising was purely on the outcome not the process, which might have been the aim, but isnβt as meaningful out of context.
As a prompt to think about morality, bullying, submission, personal agency and control, itβs a great book. As a story of the main characterβs arc it felt hollow behind the surface, intense, sadness - meaning it unfortunately gave me echoes of misery porn at times.
Am I glad I read it? Yes. Should you read it? Probably. Did I enjoy it? No. I just donβt think I can vibe with the nihilism.