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A review by cyntismiles
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
dark
sad
tense
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
3.0
I think I picked out this book for the magical realism tag on StoryGraph but should have looked into it more. For some reason, I thought it was a book of short stories? It really should have been obvious it wasn't by "a novel" in the title. This is all just to say I really went into this one blind. Anyway on with the review!
I thought this book explored some dark responses to trauma and how our early experiences trying to figure out how the world works either help or hinder us. It is an interesting thought piece on the expectations of society and how they are often duplicitous. It is very gut-wrenching seeing how the main character(s) react to their various traumas. This is told from a perspective that is questionable in a way where we can both witness their perspective and as a reader see beyond their perspective. It is a horrifying and sad tale often crossing lines that leave the reader asking "wait, really?". There were many moments where I thought to myself "this has really gone off the rails!" and then it got even wilder.
I found the twists and turns of the story very disturbing. The author did a wonderful job of leading the reader in certain directions where it felt like things might get better and then twisting the narrative this way and that. I wish I could read the original text to compare because I felt like there were some areas in which the translation may have been lacking. Alas, I do not know Japanese so I don't know if this was the original writing or translation. It wasn't that big of a deal, just some word choices that I felt were odd.
I don't know that I can "recommend" the book per se as it is so graphic and disturbing. I believe the author executed the premise well and it's a quick read which I think is to its benefit considering the content. It is to the point and gets its point across well. If you are interested in this book, I highly recommend reading the content warnings as I did not. I use StoryGraph which has a good program for content warnings.
I thought this book explored some dark responses to trauma and how our early experiences trying to figure out how the world works either help or hinder us. It is an interesting thought piece on the expectations of society and how they are often duplicitous. It is very gut-wrenching seeing how the main character(s) react to their various traumas. This is told from a perspective that is questionable in a way where we can both witness their perspective and as a reader see beyond their perspective. It is a horrifying and sad tale often crossing lines that leave the reader asking "wait, really?". There were many moments where I thought to myself "this has really gone off the rails!" and then it got even wilder.
I found the twists and turns of the story very disturbing. The author did a wonderful job of leading the reader in certain directions where it felt like things might get better and then twisting the narrative this way and that. I wish I could read the original text to compare because I felt like there were some areas in which the translation may have been lacking. Alas, I do not know Japanese so I don't know if this was the original writing or translation. It wasn't that big of a deal, just some word choices that I felt were odd.
I don't know that I can "recommend" the book per se as it is so graphic and disturbing. I believe the author executed the premise well and it's a quick read which I think is to its benefit considering the content. It is to the point and gets its point across well. If you are interested in this book, I highly recommend reading the content warnings as I did not. I use StoryGraph which has a good program for content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Body horror, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Vomit, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
Minor: Suicide