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A review by leakaroo
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
Completely absurd and unhinged: I think I need a few weeks to even process what I just read.
This was the perfect lead up after reading Convenience Store Woman: it gave me the wacky off-the-wall hijinks that I was craving.
Natsuki narrates in a completely straightforward tone and doesn't hide from what's happening to her, which fits extremely well with how everything unfolds, and adds to the absurdity of it. I really enjoy Murata's storytelling!!!
My ONLY gripe is I wish the English translation was a bit better since I found some grammatical errors and a lot of repetition of some words (Like the word "muttered" comes up a lot throughout the novel. Why on Earth was everyone apparently just muttering the whole time?!). But that's the fault of translation, not any critique of the story itself.
Anyways, fantastic fantastic fantastic with a thought-provoking view on society!
This was the perfect lead up after reading Convenience Store Woman: it gave me the wacky off-the-wall hijinks that I was craving.
Natsuki narrates in a completely straightforward tone and doesn't hide from what's happening to her, which fits extremely well with how everything unfolds, and adds to the absurdity of it. I really enjoy Murata's storytelling!!!
My ONLY gripe is I wish the English translation was a bit better since I found some grammatical errors and a lot of repetition of some words (Like the word "muttered" comes up a lot throughout the novel. Why on Earth was everyone apparently just muttering the whole time?!). But that's the fault of translation, not any critique of the story itself.
Anyways, fantastic fantastic fantastic with a thought-provoking view on society!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement and Sexism