A review by wormlibrary
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

dark reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

The biggest thank you to Grove Atlantic for this advance copy from one of my favorite authors.

Once you read Sayaka Murata's other books, you know what to expect. Society is getting weirder, the main character is struggling through it and you might throw up by the end. Her writing style is as unique as ever, and you find yourself nodding as she delivers jabs of commentary that is as poignant as the worlds she weaves are bizarre. As always, there's sex and bodily fluids and discomforting imagery that only she can handle this well as you're losing your mind along with the main character. The translation is on par with the other 3 books and absolutely delivers.

The premise of this novel hit me as something you would find in Life Ceremony and I thought that was its biggest weakness. I wish it was expected of me to just accept this concept of society rejecting sex and family relations, instead of the book explaining how it got to it, and it being unbelievable. 

All in all, Sayaka Murata stays at the tippy top of my list and while I'd maybe not recommend picking this up as your first Murata book, she's as strong as ever and I'm in love with her mind.
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