A review by mishjordn
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can’t stop thinking about this book.  The author makes it so easy to empathize and sympathize with Natsumi. You watch the protagonist transition from 9-year old girl to a 30(?) year old woman and I think that’s integral to the story. You see exactly how her childhood informs her adulthood and how her perceptions of her family life and her abuse is a catalyst for what she becomes. The book can be looked at in two ways: (1) A girl indulging into her childhood delusions as a way to cope with the trauma she experienced or (2) An alien or outcast who finds her home. This book also looks at the culture of humanity in a sense. What is humanity without civilization?

The incest and cannibalism make this story intense and grotesque. However, the author forces the reader to realize that our judgement of both is because we have been socialized to think so. 100 years ago, humanity had put homosexuality in the same category right? The pedophilic teacher had also underlined the power of social capital, where being attractive and being regarded as decent abstains you from your consequences. Natsumi killing the teacher was also very satisfying.

Overall, I really liked this book. I was engrossed in the story and I couldn’t put it down. It was equally weird and gross as it was pensive and thoughtful.