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Das Seidenraupenzimmer

Sayaka Murata,

Ursula Gräfe (Translator)

3.57 · Rating details · 14,907 ratings · 3,640 reviews

Der neue Roman nach dem Bestseller »Die Ladenhüterin«

Der neue Roman von Japans Erfolgsautorin Sayaka Murata erzählt die Geschichte zweier Außenseiter, Yuki und ihr Cousin Yu, die sich jung verlieben und gemeinsam gegen eine Welt verbünden, die ihnen beileibe nicht nur Gutes will. Im alten Farmhaus der Familie, in dem früher die Seidenraupen ihren Dienst verrichteten, sind ...more

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Hardcover, 256 pages

Published June 15th 2020 by Aufbau Verlag (first published August 31st 2018)

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· 14,907 ratings · 3,640 reviews

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Feb 03, 2021 Kat rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 02, 2020 Robin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: aliens

Recommended to Robin by: lark benobi

Shelves: netgalley, translation, horror, 2020, japan, literary-fiction

This book is off the hook.

If I try to explain what happens in the plot, I will sound insane. And it is. The plot is outrageous and over the top - the oppression, the abuse, and then the equally shocking response to it. It's wild, fearless, and what makes it even stranger is that it's told in this completely simple, straightforward, conversational tone. It draws you in, with the ease of a YA novel. You almost think, hey, this is about 11 year old kids. I'm not that interested. But don't be fooled ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Meike rated it it was amazing

Shelves: japan, 2020-read

English Edition: Earthlings
The follow-up to Convenience Store Woman is absolutely outrageous: Rebellion, misogyny, hikikomori, incest, murder, cannibalism - Murata takes no prisoners. And have I mentioned that the whole story is a parable on modern society AND a dark fairy tale full of twists and turns that will lure you into a dark room and beat you to death with a trophy (don't ask)? Don't let yourself be fooled by that cute cover, it's aiming to point you in the wrong direction so the ultimat English Edition: Earthlings
The follow-up to Convenience Store Woman is absolutely outrageous: Rebellion, misogyny, hikikomori, incest, murder, cannibalism - Murata takes no prisoners. And have I mentioned that the whole story is a parable on modern society AND a dark fairy tale full of twists and turns that will lure you into a dark room and beat you to death with a trophy (don't ask)? Don't let yourself be fooled by that cute cover, it's aiming to point you in the wrong direction so the ultimate shock will be all the more vicious.

Our narrator is Natsuki, and she begins her story by telling us about some crucial experiences from her childhood: As she was verbally and physically abused by her parents and older sister and sexually exploited by a teacher, she has developed depersonalization strategies and used her vivid imagination in order to deal with her dire situation. But Natsuki wants to live, not only to survive - a longing she shares with her cousin Yu, whom his needy, depressive mother demeans by calling him an alien. Yu believes her - why else wouldn't he fit in? In the old family estate that used to house a silkworm farm, the outsiders fall in love - until something tears them apart.

Fast forward: 34-year-old Natsuki has entered a marriage of convenience and she is still surviving instead of living. While she and her husband Tomoobi aren't close, they both agree that they don't want to serve "the factory", meaning a society that requires them to adhere to its strict standards and to focus on work and procreation in order to perpetuate the status quo - they don't want their bodies to become instruments of capitalism and conformism. When they travel to the old family estate where they meet Yu, the three of them hatch a plan to finally escape "the factory" and live as another species...

While the English title is "Earthlings", referring to the society our three main characters reject, the German title translates to "The Silkworm Room", which features as a double metaphor in the story: One the one hand, the silkworm farm in the family estate used to be its own kind of factory, but now that it is defunct, the house is (in a metaphorical sense) an industrial ruin where Natsuki, Yu and Tomoobi are trying to build their own kind of cocoon. All of them are traumatized by childhood experiences, Tomoobi was somewhat of a hikikomori and he and Natsuki don't want to have sex (neither with each other nor with other partners) - but shouldn't it be up to them to decide how they want to live, whether they want to have children, whether they want to adhere to traditional gender roles and conform to the expectations of society? Isn't conformism really a form of brainwashing, as Yuki maintains? Or is it just their trauma that keeps them from successfully participating in society, pushing them into unhappy lives as outsiders?

...and then we witness how they decide to live outside society - and it makes the reader question everything. It's utterly shocking and brilliantly done, a clash of Ryū Murakami's gore and Han Kang's psychological investigations into the question whether the individual or society is mad (or both). In this anti-bildungsroman, socialisation is brainwashing, and the alternative is...well, you'll have to read the book to find out!

Unsettling and unputdownable, this mean little novel punches its readers in the guts, and while the attack might hurt a little, it's also unbelievably entertaining. If you want to learn more about the novel, you can listen to our podcast episode, my radio piece or my interview with translator Ursula Gräfe (all in German). ...more

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Jun 11, 2020 lark benobi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, ruthless-books, literary-darkness, exuberant-books, books-that-make-me-laugh, 2020-women-in-translation, a-new-way-of-reading, japan

I am so moved by this novel. It's entirely unique and yet it flows mysteriously in the same mighty river of fiction that has sprung up in these last years, written by women from all over the world, who are suddenly writing in a fierce and visceral and entirely ruthless way about what it's like to be different.

This novel is outrageous and funny in some parts, and it's outrageous and heartbreaking in others. I never knew what to expect, but then, every time the unexpected happened on the page, I t ...more

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May 27, 2021 emma rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: non-ya, diverse, dark, project-aapi, 1-and-a-half-stars, authors-of-color, literary-fiction, magical-realist-urban-whatever, reviewed, nope

The truth is that I am easily disturbed.

My metaphorical gag reflex is very sensitive. (No comment on my literal gag reflex, you pervs.) (Okay I am sorry about the sex joke in the second line of a review but also at the same time if you can't handle me at my PG-13 you cannot handle this book for even a singular second, so. Consider yourself warned.)

I get grossed out by almost anything. Ottessa Moshfegh books (even though I read her whole backlist). People fake puking on TV. Bad smells.

This book t ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Tim rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, japanese, 2010s

Well, I just read two extreme horror novels. Time for a break. Something light-hearted, something silly... what's this? A Japanese novel about a woman who thinks she's an alien and with a cute cover? No doubt this will be a light comedic read.

...

Ha.
Ha.
Ha.

No, no it was not. This review is going to be mostly covered in a spoiler tag, but let me stress this to would be readers. This is the single most uncomfortable read I've had all year (and this has been a year filled with mostly horror novels fo Well, I just read two extreme horror novels. Time for a break. Something light-hearted, something silly... what's this? A Japanese novel about a woman who thinks she's an alien and with a cute cover? No doubt this will be a light comedic read.

...

Ha.
Ha.
Ha.

No, no it was not. This review is going to be mostly covered in a spoiler tag, but let me stress this to would be readers. This is the single most uncomfortable read I've had all year (and this has been a year filled with mostly horror novels for me). This is honestly one of the most uncomfortable books I've ever read. I won't say the MOST, but certainly up there.

(view spoiler)[As mentioned, the plot follows a woman who believes she's an alien. She's also been verbally abused by her mother frequently, sexually abused by her teacher and we get to witness detailed descriptions of these in the first two chapters. She becomes so conditioned to just accept these sort of things that she views her family as perfect if she wasn't around, and creates the delusion that the teacher must be a good person but is being controlled by a "wicked witch." Whenever she faces the possibility of change, she reacts with trying to just keep things stable.

"Please don't throw me out. I'll listen and obey whatever you say, just please don't throw me out. A child thrown out by adults will die. Please don't kill me."

Yeah, let's go back to that cute book cover. Keep looking at it. Its the only comfort you're getting from this book.

Is it any wonder our lead feels alienated (pun unintended)? Not only was she sexually abused as a child (with no one believing her and some of the dialogue when she told her "friends" made me feel borderline sick while reading) but her mother was verbally and sometimes physically abusive. She was always made to feel her sister was superior for conforming to everything her mother wanted, where her sister's personality came off as cruel as a child and disturbed as an adult (just in a different fashion than our lead).

There's a distinct lack of subtlety to this critique on how a culture can push you to conform, but it's certainly delivered in a way that makes an impact. For example, there's a scene where she visits her in-laws after they discover that her and her husband have never had sex (and indeed married each other just so they could keep their families from pressuring them into starting a conventional family). A conversation with the mother in-law was so strikingly horrible, I had to make a note of it. "Look, Tomoya. Do it a lot and make a family, then once the relationship has cooled, you play around outside of marriage.That's the way it is for lots of couples, isn't it? Playing around is a man's reward. Your father has had his fair share, haven't you dear?"

Wow... I... yeah, that's some uncomfortable as hell dialogue there.

I don't know fully what to make of this book, but I kind of feel like that it makes some excellent points on some really disturbing subjects. It addresses why so many people who have been sexually abused would not come out about it. It deals with alienation and it deals with how anyone who doesn't fit into what society wants is pushed even further. It deals with all these things, but it works so much in extremes, that it feels like a weird cult movie in literary form.

I'm apparently in the minority, but I liked the later chapters better. The first were so uncomfortably detailed in real world horror that I found the embracing of the delusions actually made the book easier to read and less uncomfortable. What does it say that the section with cannibalism was the more comfortable read? (hide spoiler)]

Overall I cannot say I was a fan of this one. It's an interesting read, and certainly a unique experience. While I'm all for horror and weird fiction, it's so tonally all over the place that I never really "enjoyed" reading it. It's an interesting curiosity, but not one I'd want to repeat. 2/5 stars ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 Henk rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, japanese-literature

Don’t let the cute cover fool you. This is a deadpan account of trauma, sexual abuse, the stifling nature of conformity and breaking taboos to try and set oneself free from a limiting definition of being human
Children’s lives never belong to them. The grownups own us.

I liked the first part of this book markedly more than the latter. The perspective of a young person being forced into a mould and to be “normal” really was portrayed in a way that I thought had emotional impact. That Japanese socie ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Marchpane rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, arc-from-netgalley, 2020-releases, women-in-translation

‘It’s really hard to put into words things that are just a little bit not okay.’

Earthlings. Where to start with this book? Tonally, it is all over the place. At times it reads with such naivete and simple language it could be a children’s book. But then it turns dark. VERY dark.

There are (warning!) explicit scenes of child sexual abuse described in first person from the child’s POV. There are eruptions of surreal violence and gore. Things get... weird.

In its calmer, more realist moments, thi ‘It’s really hard to put into words things that are just a little bit not okay.’

Earthlings. Where to start with this book? Tonally, it is all over the place. At times it reads with such naivete and simple language it could be a children’s book. But then it turns dark. VERY dark.

There are (warning!) explicit scenes of child sexual abuse described in first person from the child’s POV. There are eruptions of surreal violence and gore. Things get... weird.

In its calmer, more realist moments, this novel actually does share a lot in common with Murata’s Convenience Store Woman, as protagonist Natsuki has no interest in career or parenthood, and enters into a phony marriage just to get people off her back:

‘Society was a system for falling in love. People who couldn’t fall in love had to fake it. What came first: the system or love? All I knew was that love was a mechanism designed to make Earthlings breed.’

I’m tempted to call Earthlings an ‘anti-coming-of-age’ novel. We meet Natsuki at age 11 and then again at age 34, skipping over those years we typically deem most formative. But the missing twenty-odd years seem not to have changed Natsuki at all—she remains frozen in time, perhaps as a result of the abuse and cruelty she suffered as a child—nor have they shaken her belief in planet Popinpobopia and the fantasy she takes refuge in: being a literal alien.

Natsuki and her husband both feel alienated; chafing against social strictures, they would rather believe they are Popinpobopians than become capitalistic and reproductive ‘tools’ for ‘The Factory’. This sends them down a bizarre path of nonconformism and taboo-breaking. Thematically then, Earthlings is a distant cousin of other tales of disaffected, transgressive anarchism like Fight Club.

It is hard to know how to rate this book, as I was transfixed while not really enjoying it. Murata raises weighty issues, gestures towards meaningful discourse, before veering away into surreal horror & gore. The climactic frenzy of ingurgitation is a metaphor-made-literal that readers are left to interpret for themselves. But I wasn’t invested enough to try. Maybe life on Earth is too weird right now for these aliens to land. ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 s.penkevich rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, society

‘Survive, whatever it takes.’

‘The reward for conformity,’ wrote author Rita Mae Brown, ‘is that everyone like you but yourself.’ The alienation that comes from an inability or distaste for conforming with society is heart and center in the works of Sayaka Murata. Revisiting and revitalizing many themes addressed in her brilliant, previous novel Convenience Store Woman--which hit English-speaking shelves in 2018 translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori--Murata’s newest novel, Earthlings goes further i ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Debbie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mostly-not-set-in-u-s, netgalley, secret-gems, bizarro-icky, luscious-spines-live-in-my-bookcase, all-time-favorites, cultural, blew-my-mind, 2020-best-reads, bookcase-of-faves-at-home

You want crazy? I’ll give you crazy!

This is the most bizarre and unique book I’ve ever read, hands down. Going into this, Geek Love held the title of Weirdest Book Ever, but this book knocked that one off the shelf and stands proudly in its place. Everything in this book is OVER THE TOP (yes, in all caps)! This is just what I needed in a time when our country is over the top in so many ways. Everything in your face, a big deal, all exclamation marks. So why not escape into a book that takes me You want crazy? I’ll give you crazy!

This is the most bizarre and unique book I’ve ever read, hands down. Going into this, Geek Love held the title of Weirdest Book Ever, but this book knocked that one off the shelf and stands proudly in its place. Everything in this book is OVER THE TOP (yes, in all caps)! This is just what I needed in a time when our country is over the top in so many ways. Everything in your face, a big deal, all exclamation marks. So why not escape into a book that takes me out of this reality and plops me into a way worse bizarro-land that I can laugh at and marvel at from afar?

I felt nervous at first. Eek, I’d ventured outside my genre. (I seem to be doing that this year.) I was patting myself on the back for that one. I don’t really even know what genre it is. It’s a combo: Dystopian. Sort of. Family drama. Sort of. Horror. Sort of. Here I had landed on the moon, but now what? I was afraid to get out of my spaceship! How bad would it be with moon rocks under my feet? What would I find? Scary!! I finally stepped out, and holy moly was it ever wildly exciting out there!

As I read on, I was getting downright cocky—I’ve got this, oh yeah. For sure it’s one of my favorite books ever! I love every second of it! But then…BUT THEN!! I get to the last scene and it’s WAY too over the top for me. Erase! Erase! Why oh why did the writer go there? But when I think about it, the whole book is so intense and strange, why would I expect anything less as the finale? Suddenly it’s a 4-star read; I can’t give it any less even though I’m pissed that the author went there, went to a place I could not handle. If I take off that final scene (which I can’t, and which I’ll never forget), this is a 6-star read.

It’s hard to talk about the plot without giving too much away, so I’ll just say it’s about a woman who doesn’t fit into society. She wants desperately to conform but she’s no good at it. The book starts with her 11-year-old self. She thinks she’s from another planet (that has a weird, long, and interesting name). Ho, hum, another alienated kid. That part seemed sort of dumb and I wondered if the story would get more interesting (believe me, it does!). Her family is mean and puts pressure on her. There is one very disturbing situation but she takes care of it in the most unusual way. You think she’s pretty cool, but then it gets iffy. Still, you’re on her side.

I could not stop reading. The story is full of nutso ideas and dialogue. At one point, a guy blurts out that he wants to have sex with his grandfather. His friends say it’s not the right thing to do, and then the guy says it’s okay because his grandfather is in a vegetative state. Whaaaaaat? I realize that doesn’t sound funny; you had to be there. You can see what I mean when I say it’s over the top.

The author is Japanese and the book is translated. I wasn’t conscious of the fact that it wasn’t written in English, always a good sign. The writing is simplistic and has a YA feel to it, but note that this cannot be called YA. And the simplicity works because it contrasts so well with the intensity of the story.

I read the author’s earlier novel, Convenience Store Woman, and I liked it. That book, too, is about a woman who doesn’t conform. Of the two books, Earthlings is the knockout. I will follow this writer anywhere.

You have to enjoy bizarre, dramatic stories and have a tolerance for the horrific to like this book. For me, the upsetting scenes were trumped by the wonderfully crazy plot and characters, but this book is not for everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Sam Quixote rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Sayaka Murata’s back with another story of a social outsider - and it’s even worse than Convenience Store Woman!

Natsuki is a little girl that gets physically and verbally abused by her horrible mother, sexually abused by her teacher and, after a bout of incest, attempts suicide - guys, you’ll never believe it but somehow she turns out to be a complete mess of an adult!

Yeah I didn’t like Earthlings at all. A lot of the gross scenes felt gratuitously described to little or no effect (beyond the Sayaka Murata’s back with another story of a social outsider - and it’s even worse than Convenience Store Woman!

Natsuki is a little girl that gets physically and verbally abused by her horrible mother, sexually abused by her teacher and, after a bout of incest, attempts suicide - guys, you’ll never believe it but somehow she turns out to be a complete mess of an adult!

Yeah I didn’t like Earthlings at all. A lot of the gross scenes felt gratuitously described to little or no effect (beyond the obvious shock factor) and the message Murata seemed to be going for felt trite and immature. Conformism is brainwashing, maaan, society is like a factory, etc. This kind of banal commentary isn’t new or clever - rejecting societal norms doesn’t make you a radical, it makes you an average teenager.

I get that Japanese society is more restrictive than most western societies. There’s a strong emphasis on family, living outside of the norm is discouraged, it’s patriarchal (though this is slowly changing), and the focus is much more on the group than the individual. Perhaps something like this would seem more transgressive in that context. But not to this reader in the UK - this was just childish silliness.

Natsuki was an annoying character for the most part even though I felt sorry for her. Her inner dialogue was irritating - as a kid she’s either banging on about survival or wittering on about being an alien or a witch with her imaginary friend Piyyut, and as an adult she’s talking idiotically about rationalism. Yuu and Tomoya were equally stupid - they all deserved each other. Three morons exchanging stilted comments about nothing to highlight… what? That this is what a buttoned-down society reduces people to when they don’t fall in line? I’m not impressed if it is.

I found Earthlings unpleasant for large portions of the novel, the characters all absurd, the point obvious and simple, and the story always really, really boring. After this and Convenience Store Woman, I don’t think Sayaka Murata’s books are for me. ...more

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Oct 12, 2021 daph pink ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: asian-authors, mystery-thriller-horror, 5-star, japanese-lit

I read Convenience store woman earlier this year and fell in love with it. Earthlings had been on my to-read list for a long time, but I never got around to reading it.

And now that I've finished it, I'm thinking about it. I'm still undecided about whether I should give it 4 or 5 stars because the dark plot had me twisted and I'll never forget it. Though the concept is similar to that of the Convenience store woman , this one is more bold, dark, and twisted in every manner.

I won't go into deta ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sayaka Murata’s “Convenience Store For Women”, was a contemporary unique-charming debut —-with a thirty-ish woman [Keiko]—who didn’t feel as if she ‘fit-in’....
In “The Earthlings”, Natsuki, doesn’t feel she ‘fits-in’, either. As a child — her parents favored her sister, Kise.
She also suffered abuse -(sexual abuse by her math teacher), plus mockery & humiliation from the community ( who Natsuki refers to as ‘The Baby Factory’).
Her best friend was a toy hedgehog named Piyyut.....who explained he ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 The Artisan Geek added it · review of another edition

26/1/21
One year later, I finally did a full review on this one :)
------------------VIDEO REVIEW------------------

26/1/20
What a story! I got a limited edition ARC, because I'll be doing something fun with the publisher, so I can't really say anything about the contents of the book - will do in the future! :)

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Apr 19, 2021 Jenna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Jenna by: James

Shelves: stranger-things, fiction, out-of-asia

Mr Cummings Psych Therapy GIF - MrCummings PsychTherapy Doctor GIFs

I don't know what it says about my state of mind that this book didn't disturb me, but it's the second book in a month that I was warned about that hardly made me blink an eye.

There's some messed up shit in this book. I should have been squirming and ugh-ing and needing to just stop reading.... but no. Didn't happen. I think I've grown a little numb.

It's a fun book to read, whether or not your brain is screwy and unbothered by.... stuff.

It's a story about fitting in, or not. About the demands ...more

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Sep 05, 2021 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: asia, japanese-literature, literary-fiction, speculative-fiction, world-literature, favorites, magical-realism, world-culture, contemporary, japan

‘’Magical powers. I have to summon my magical powers. The power of darkness, the power of wind - any magical power will do, but I need something. I have to use my magical powers on my whole body before my heart feels anything.’’

It was all your fault. You should have said ‘’No’’ loud and clear. You imagine things. You want attention. Your mind is filthy. ‘’He didn’t go all the way, don’t fuss.’’ ‘Why are you acting so traumatized?’’ ‘’These things happen, we just have to put up with it.’’. ‘’ ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Pedro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: big-in-japan, orgiastic-reads

Don’t be misled by the kind of cute little (short-eared) Mogwai on the cover because if you ever decide to open this book what you’re going to find inside it can only be described as a Gremlin.

This novel starts like a light YA novel but very quickly evolves into a nightmare.

The writing is deceptively simple with a dreamlike quality to it and the narrator’s (young) voice very relatable.

As I said, it didn’t take long before I realised this wasn’t going to be what the cute cover suggested. In a ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 JimZ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Nine days ago, I read “The Sound of a Wild Snail” and had this comment early on in my review:
• I became aware somewhere in the middle of this book that I was saying, out loud, “geez”, over and over again.

In that book I was saying ‘geez” because the author kept on astounding me with the most interesting facts about snails. So, astounding I was saying “geez” out loud a number of times while reading.

For this book I finished the book saying out loud “Jesus” and in the middle saying out loud, I thin ...more

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Aug 07, 2020 Emily B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 rounded up.

This novel is super odd to say the least! If you’re looking for something a bit different then give this a try.

I loved how unique it was, although I have to say I did find the abuse parts particularly hard to read, more so than other books actually. Something about it hit a nerve for me.

Overall, I enjoyed it but didn’t find myself completely hooked, instead I was able to make my way through it over a couple of days, despite it being a relatively short book.

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Feb 15, 2020 Ms. Smartarse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, dark-comedy, netgalley, feminism, slice-of-life, disturbing, japanese-lit, translated_into_german, philosophical, friendship

Published in English as Earthlings.

Natsuki's been leading a double life: regular middle-schooler by day, extraordinary magical (alien) girl by night. Not an easy balance to keep, but our heroine handles it like a champ. It helps to keep in mind, that the mother ship would be picking her up any time now...

The one bright spot amid these trials, are the family's yearly get-togethers. Set in the grandparents' house in the countryside, Natsuki looks forward to taking refuge in the mysterious silkworm ...more

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Sep 17, 2020 Kate rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, japanese-lit

1/5stars

((Dropped from a 2 to a 1 Star after a few weeks consideration))

**Arc received from NetGalley - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Okay so... this was a bit... too much.

I read "The Convenience Store Woman" last year and really enjoyed it. I was prepared (and excited!) for this book to be weird... but it went a little too far in my opinion.

This book had some really good conversations - such as autonomy of one's own body and life, a lot of commentary on women's 1/5stars

((Dropped from a 2 to a 1 Star after a few weeks consideration))

**Arc received from NetGalley - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Okay so... this was a bit... too much.

I read "The Convenience Store Woman" last year and really enjoyed it. I was prepared (and excited!) for this book to be weird... but it went a little too far in my opinion.

This book had some really good conversations - such as autonomy of one's own body and life, a lot of commentary on women's bodies and place in society, and the ostracization of people society views as different.

This book has a LOT of trigger warnings for: child abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse, familial abuse, sexual abuse, children (like ACTUAL children like 10 or 11 years old, not 17 year olds) having sex with each other, manipulation, cannibalism, incest and probably other things I can't even remember at the moment.

To me, this book could have been wonderful. It could have really been about the psyche and mental trauma of a child who faced a LOT of adversity because of not fitting into society and having incredibly abusive and manipulative family members and how young children cope with these traumas, as well as how adults who have faced these situations cope as they get older.

But Murata took it to a level that verged on parody. The absolute ridiculousness that was paired with these incredibly intense, upsetting narrative made me feel very strange and definitely, at times, felt like she was making fun of these situations. In the same paragraph we would have a child being sexually abused and then also talking about an alien world. Again, it could have been an interesting exploration of coping with trauma, but the entire alien world and being alien thing just went on for too long and went too far into ridiculousness. The last 50ish pages of this were near un-readable for me cause I was just so baffled and cringing every 30 seconds. As well as, the absolute over-the-top reactions from the main character's family and friends, again, almost felt like a parody. I feel like if any woman (or man tbh!) has ever faced conversations like this (ie; not wanting or being able to have children) they might read these conversations and feel like Murata was making fun of these situations.

By going this weird with this novel, I felt like Murata really took away from a very important story. I love weird, I love speculative and fucky stories, but this one just didn't do it for me. I hadn't wanted a story to just BE OVER like I did with this one in a very long time.

I'm giving it 2 stars because when it WASN'T being super fucky and weird, this really did have a lot of wonderful commentary and interesting explorations into humanity and modern society. ...more

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Dec 09, 2021 John Mauro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

See that cute stuffed hedgehog on the cover of "Earthlings"?

That's Piyyut. He's best friends with Natsuki, the book's narrator, an 11-year-old girl who is also a magician.

As explained by Natsuki:

"I hugged my backpack to me. Inside it was my origami magic wand and my magical transformation mirror. At the very top of the backpack was my best friend, Piyyut, who gave me these magical objects. Piyyut can't speak human since the evil forces put a spell on him, but he's looking after me so I won't ge ...more

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Nov 16, 2021 Michael || TheNeverendingTBR rated it liked it · review of another edition

Possibly the most bizarre novel I've ever read that just gets even more outrageous as you get further into it.

It's a well written book though but it just got too weird for me towards the end.

It covers a range of disturbing themes including sexual abuse, incest, murder and cannibalism.

Despite the subject matter, there were lighter moments that were nice to read but overall it's a deeply unsettling and heartbreaking read, so beware.

I wouldn't read this again. 😶 ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Sara rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, contemporary, fiction, translated

ARC received in exchange foor an honest review.

Having previously read Murata's Convenience Store Woman, I knew that this would be odd. What I wasn't expecting was a whole host of weird, coupled with incest, cannibalism and child abuse.

Honestly, I'm not sure where to start (or indeed finish) with this. The writing is very simplistic, and there isn't really much of a plot other than Natsuki trying to cope with her awful childhood by re imagining a world where she has magical powers and is in fact ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 luce rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: v-so-so-reads, 2020-reviews, she-lost-control-again, netgalley-edelweiss

“The person who had given birth to me said I was a dead loss, so I decided it really must be true.”

A few days before reading Earthlings I read Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman and I really loved its humour and eccentric narrator. So, perhaps I approached Earthlings with the wrong expectations. Or maybe I was fooled by its cute cover (I mean, just look at that hedgehog!). Fact is, Earthlings is an altogether different beast to Murata's previous novel. I can ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 Fran rated it liked it · review of another edition

"Piyyut had taught me the magical power of invisibility. I didn't actually become invisible. I just held my breath and could make myself go unnoticed".

Natsuki's best friend was a stuffed animal, a white hedgehog she named Piyyut. Piyyut "couldn't speak human" but had given Natsuki magical powers. Yearly, Natsuki's extended family met up in the Akishina Mountains during the Obon Festival. Natsuki and her cousin Yuu shared their most intimate secrets. She spoke about the Planet Popinpobopia. Yuu s "Piyyut had taught me the magical power of invisibility. I didn't actually become invisible. I just held my breath and could make myself go unnoticed".

Natsuki's best friend was a stuffed animal, a white hedgehog she named Piyyut. Piyyut "couldn't speak human" but had given Natsuki magical powers. Yearly, Natsuki's extended family met up in the Akishina Mountains during the Obon Festival. Natsuki and her cousin Yuu shared their most intimate secrets. She spoke about the Planet Popinpobopia. Yuu said he was an alien. "I'm always secretly looking for the spaceship that will come and take me home". "The magician would be the girlfriend of the alien...until he traveled back to his home planet". Natsuki dreamed of going with Yuu in his spaceship [as his bride] to Planet Popinpobopia. Connection...closeness...a marriage ceremony officiated by Piyyut...a marriage pledge..."survive, whatever it takes".

Why would Natsuki just "survive"?. In Natsuki's words, "I had to study hard to become a work tool...I had to become...one of society's components...a reproductive organ for the town". Attendance in cram school...private lessons...inappropriate touches..."Weird alarm bells were ringing in my head". Natsuki retreated into her out of body self. Natsuki and Yuu, two innocents, regretful actions...all future trips to Akishina permanently cancelled.

Fast forward twenty three years. There is a push to fulfill societal expectations, to serve "The Factory", focusing on marriage, work and child bearing. It would be shameful to create a life outside the box. The pressure to marry and procreate was immense. Trauma in childhood has created an "otherworldliness', feelings of being an outsider. Must everyone conform to the factory mentality? Natsuki married Tomoyo three years ago. Tomoyo, an asexual male and housemate, had helped create the illusion of a good marriage, a benefit to both partners. Natsuki, Yuu and Tomoyo were on a collision course. Forcing conformity on them will have dire consequences. Long buried secrets will surface and behavior will spiral out of control.

"The Earthlings" by Sayaka Murata creates a society in which rigid expectations are thrust upon its citizens. How did Natsuki, Yuu and Tomoyo become outsiders? Should they be shunned for living against the grain of society? What life experiences factored into their behavior? You must read this tome to find out. Unfortunately, for this reader, as the weirdness factor increased, the enjoyment decreased as the tome barreled to its intense ending.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Nov 05, 2021 Judith E rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: october, contemporary

Society goes wrong. Conformity is a factory. Taboos are broken. Your stuffed animal talks to you. You survive. This is what the clinically spoken narrator, Natsuki, observes and reacts to.

From silk worms to aliens, it’s radical and fearless writing by Sayaka Murata. Her take on social conformity and fitting in stretches the limit of propriety and the reader is confronted with extreme scenarios. Murata’s, Convenience Store Women is not as gritty as Earthlings but this author has served up some s ...more

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Mar 20, 2020 Reading_ Tamishly rated it it was ok · review of another edition

There's a lot going on with just the first few chapters. There are a lot of characters which get introduced, a lot of good and not-so-good things happening in the life of Natsuki.
I would say it's a coming of age fiction where it depicts sexual abuse/molestation by a male teacher, a mother who appears to be downright disappointed in her daughter and rather abusive on a constant basis, a close male cousin who is supposedly to be the secret boyfriend/husband. So many things are not handled properl ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Melanie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I feel the need to bleach my brain. I wish there was an indication in the blurb about just how vicious the abuse - both sexual and psychological- of the primary school/teenager is. I read on because I felt I needed to know if she was going to be ok, when I know better. Why did I not DNF? I don’t even know that myself.

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Mar 24, 2021 James rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars — It's only fitting that this novel begins with a young girl getting car-sick. What an apt and prescient metaphor for a book that takes its readers on one hell of a twisty and nauseating ride!

Less than six months ago, I was calling Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil All The Time "the most f'ed up book" I've ever read. That now feels like a G-rated Christian YA love story compared to this bizarre, transgressive, darkly funny, exhilarating, circus-freak-show of a novel.

Natsuki is an 11- ...more

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About Sayaka Murata

Sayaka Murata

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Sayaka Murata (in Japanese, 村田沙耶香) is one of the most exciting up-and-coming writers in Japan today.
She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which gave her the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman (Konbini Ningen). She debuted in 2003 with Junyu (Breastfeeding), which won the Gunzo Prize for new writers. In 2009 she won the Noma Prize for New Writers with Gin iro no uta ...more