A review by soph183
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

challenging dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This book was wild- I absolutely tore through it but feel like I have whiplash after finishing it. The blurb really was the tip of the iceberg, and the story was not what I expected at all. Also psa- despite the blurb mentioning ‘buried horrors of (the main characters) past’ take this as a big fat trigger warning as SA told from a child’s perspective is a rough surprise when you’ve had no indication it’s coming.

Although this was a powerful but sad look at dissociation to cope with trauma and questioning one’s  purpose in modern society, by the end of the book felt like I had lost my mind a little. As I was reading at such speed some parts felt like I must have skipped over sections as I struggled to make sense of the plot, but the ending reassured me it was just a wild ride. The last few pages were some of the strangest I’ve read for a while felt slightly unnecessary (but maybe that’s the point- to challenge what you know to be possible?). Also found the character of Tomoya really hard to stomach and even understand which made for difficult reading.
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