A review by stephanieeee
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book may not be your cup of tea, and that is totally fine, it certainly deals with some radical and controversial themes, such as
romantic relations to a cousin, sexual assault, verbally and physically abusive familial themes, cannibalism,
not conforming to the societal norms. This book will most likely freak you out a bit if you haven’t read anything with the aforementioned topics, and even if you have, be warned, this book is shocking. This was one of the first books i have read in a while that i didnt spoil for myself (unintentionally of not). Maybe the lack of forewarning or trigger warnings or even warnings in general enhanced the shock i felt when i finished it, because this book is one of the few books that have actually compelled me to speak out loud in shock, surprise and an otherworldly feeling of strangeness. Whilst reading this I questioned whether i was the right audience for this book, but only for a second because before i knew it i was enraptured, i couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in a single sitting. Each chapter was one shock after another, not a single one left me feeling passive or bored. If you want to read something unconventional, unorthodox and nonconformist, i highly recommend this, as the writing is not only superb but it deals withs questions and feelings i assume some may be too scared to display. It is a strikingly original novel which defies expectations and stereotypes.
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