A review by crazytourists_books
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

"Heaven", is definitely a hard, brutal book. The bullying and the violence and the effects that they have on the protagonists, both physically and mentally are unbearable. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry and I wanted to be sick. The writing (and the translation) is captivating; I found my self putting the book on the side, not able to bear it any longer, only to start reading again after a few minutes... 
I 've never experienced bullying in my personal life, not as a victim, not as a bystander, not as a perpetrator, so I kept wondering where were the adults? Teachers, parents, anyone. No body saw anything? Nobody understood anything? But then again, what do I know? 
A last comment that I want to make is about the ending; at first I found it unfitting but as I let it sink in, I think it is exactly what the book needed. 
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