A review by ratinthesun
Arrachez les bourgeons, tirez sur les enfants by Kenzaburō Ōe

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I want to analyse and dissect this book page by page so bad. It's short, but it really packs a punch, and the themes are so striking - abandonment, humanity / being a beast (and tangentially, loyalty and compassion / staying alive), human connection. It's gruesome at times but in a way thats necessary to the story, especially in contrast with the romantic aspects, although I found the relationship between the narrator and his brother most striking. Overall, a really strong novel, and I really need to find the time to dissect it a little bit.