This author is one of my favourites- the worldview is unreal and everything is heightened through her lens.

Tackling themes of alienation and abuse among others this is warped and insightful,

It won’t work for everyone but I really enjoyed it:

"Earthlings" by Sayaka Murata is a bizarre and thought-provoking journey into the quirky and unsettling. This novel is like a rollercoaster of strange twists and turns that kept me intrigued throughout. Murata's writing style is unique, and the characters are as unconventional as they come. If you're up for a book that defies the norm and challenges your thinking, this one's worth a read. It's a mind-bending experience that left me with more questions than answers, and that's exactly what makes it so compelling.

I'm not sure what I have just read. Or how to feel about it. I only know that I couldn't put it down. But maybe like how you can't stop doomscrolling or looking at crashes as you pass by in the car.

I don't often include trigger warnings but this needs massive TWs for incest, paedophilia, abuse, mental illness and cannibalism.

I've read some weird books in my time but this... well. Speechless.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata is truly unlike anything I have ever read. The reason I said I wouldn't hand-sell this is down to the trigger warnings needed for this book. If the customer is okay with the trigger warnings then I would, but I would be clear on how dark this book is. Despite this, Earthlings gives amazing social commentary and handles some of the sensitive content amazingly. I felt incredibly seen with the description of what society expects of you and how hard it is to believe in asexuality. Also shows how victims of abuse are treated in society too. Very well written, and is now going to stay with me forever.

This book was a bit of an odd one for me. I wanted to like it but it was just a bit too much. Natsuki was an interesting character and i liked following her story but this was just a bit too dark and disturbing for me. I enjoyed the translation for this and thought that the writing was done really well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC of this book!

I've read one other novel by Murata before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. No surprise I enjoyed this one as well!! The hype for this book was all around bookshops everywhere (kudos to the marketing team!!) and I was instantly intrigued by the premise and the book's lovely cover. The plot is outrageous, that's the only way I could describe it!! I would say be wary of some of the content if you're easily triggered, but this book is definitely one I enjoyed. I was easily drawn in by her intriguing prose, and the plot (reminding me of a dark, almost foreboding storybook tale) was surprising, and intricate and I couldn't put it down!!

This is one of the most bizarre novels I’ve ever read, in the best way. Brilliant, surreal, sharp, shocking and brutal- and completely unlike anything else I’ve read before. I’m looking forward to reading more from Sayaka Murata in the future.

This was everything I hoped it would be and more. After being introduced to Sayaka's world in Convenience Store Woman I couldn't wait to read more from her. Earthlings takes in similar themes of its predecessor such as sexism and being and an outsider but spins them out in a more wonderfully absurd, surreal, disturbing and horrific way.

It is an intriguingly thought provoking read. However, if you are expecting another Convenience Store Woman then be warned this book contains child abuse, rape, murder, incest oh and not forgetting cannibalism.

I desperately wanted to like this because I enjoyed Convenience Store Woman but found a lot of the more graphic scenes quite anxiety-inducing and stressful, I also felt terribly sad for the narrator and found the book a bit too bleak and strange for my liking. One graphic scene in particular was quite triggering and upsetting which ruined any enjoyment I may have had from the book, as well as the relationship between two cousins. The ending was completely bizarre and ridiculous that I feel it was just put in for shock value. I know a lot of people who enjoyed it but it just wasn't for me!

Natsuki had been “abandoned” by her own family and more tragic when she still had to face them every day. She faces unrealised abuse from her parents and acted nothing because she thinks she does not belong to the Earth. She might be alien or a witch. Until one day, she and her cousin, Yuu, spending summer together and tied a promised. The promise will bring them to another world. ⁣
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TW: sexual abuse, family abuse, mental abuse, mental illness and cannibalism. ⁣
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Finished this book within a day. It’s a weird read but I get it’s fun and easy to read. (Will explain the word ‘fun’ I used there). It also left a hole in me. The words used for the whole story makes it easy to read.⁣
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Unfortunately, this book is a dark reality that tragically needs to be faced by certain people. The one that powerless will be taking advantage and those couldn’t follow the rules of life will have to experiences tortures by society. What a pity society. ⁣
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I found this book was ‘fun’ because it’s beyond my imagination. I can’t predict anything from the story and the feeling of pain and sympathy to the main character grew harder. It is disappointed because everything pictures in the book are happening in this world and we make blind of it! ⁣
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Somehow this book makes me scared about how we have to be prepared with the knowledge to raise and teach the next generation. Their future is depending on us as their parents and teachers. Those who are in front lines in raising children. ⁣
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Then, comes religion to guide and finding parenting knowledge that will lead the best way of raising them. I believe the only real parenting is started with good knowledge, capabilities and part of readiness. So, the new generation will not be left off or need to grown-up by themselves. ⁣
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I don’t think this book is suitable to read by everyone unless they have been properly guided.⁣
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This book is an eRC given by @netgalley as a return with an honest review. It’s also already available in good bookstores.

This is by far one of the most curious, strange and honestly just crazy books I have read in a long time, I was sat in shock for well over an hour after i finished trying to absorb what i had just read. A massive thanks to NetGalley and Granta Books for allowing me to read this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot summary:
Natsuki is not like other girls, for one she has a creature that shows her the world of magic. For another she is secretly dating her Cousin Yuu who is an alien from another planet. When a family gathering turns to chaos both the cousins agree to each other they will do one thing- survive at any cost.

Years later Natsuki is in an asexual marriage and is fully aware she is an alien as well. As she prays for the day she can return to her home, can a potential reunion with her cousin mean that her time to escape this planet has finally arrived?

Review:
Plot wise- whatever you think this book is about you are in for so many jaw drops because it is absolutely nothing like i was expecting. Firstly if you have triggers- i would suggest checking trigger warnings before reading this book, I don't want to spoil it for you but reader please go into this aware there are triggers in it.
I have never been so compelled to finish a story in all its messed up glory. The themes of mental health, the way people will act just to purely fit in to society and the constant need for freedom from ones life truly come alive within this short novel. The lengths the main characters go to in order to truly be themselves is actually astonishing, and truly shows how trauma can cause mental health issues in both youth and in the future. The plot comes alive and is poignant and does not shy away from making you think- is there anything you do just to try and fit in? I know i do and many people will realise and empathise with this sentiment as the story develops.

Also the ending- I was not prepared in any way shape or form, but i loved it.

The writing style in this story was really enjoyable and so considered and very direct to the story- it was refreshing..The pacing of this story is very fast- its only a short story but trust me every single word is utilised magnigficently.

Character wise Natsuki was truly the star of the show and my god she is such a beautifully flawed protagonist just trying to make her way and fit in as an earthling. Its startling to realise how many of her feelings i could empathise with as she developed. As for Yuu and her husband- they both get their due diligence and the development is wonderful. with such a large cast of characters they all had their moments- enough for you to understand why Natsuki is they way she is and its startling to read.

The world building was wonderful- detailed and worked perfectly for the story to be portrayed.

Final Thoughts:
A truly unique story of how far people would go to fit in, with so many wonderful themes and trust me this story is never ever going to be forgotten for me- an absolute wild ride form start to finish.

Earthlings is an extraordinary story. Even though I wouldn’t say I liked it as much as the Convenience Store Women, I couldn’t let it go. I read each new page faster, as the book got weirder and weirder.

In Earthlings we follow Natsuki through her childhood where she is sexually abused by a young teacher, not believed when she tries to speak out about it and often 'talked down' by her aggressive Mother to the point she believes the things said about her whilst her younger Sister receives all the praise and attention.
In adulthood she enters a celibate "marriage of convenience" with a man who is also disillusioned with "Earthlings.". Natsuki believes that her favourite toy is an "advisor" from her home planet of Popinpophobia and in moments of crisis may speak to her. Her Cousin Yuu who she was extremely close with but forbidden to see after been caught together as children in a sexual encounter believes he is a alien waiting to be collected and her husband believes that "normal people" are all part of the "Factory" a repressive system that seeks to sublimate Earthlings and make them into breeders.
Sounds Confusing?, well it certainly was different. When the story was more 'normal' I enjoyed it but tended to get lost in the surreal aspects. I took from it the underlying message about how the World compels us to conform to stereotypes and how parents can play a huge part in that role nurturing it. We also see the destructive effects of abuse in any form be it physical, emotional & sexual and how it can shape a young life.
Very different from the authors previous book, rather wacky but some serious themes running throughout.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for my honest review.

After adoring Convenience Store Woman I couldn't wait to get back into Murata's prose! It did not disappoint. Possibly one of the weirdest books I have read in a long time and I loved every second of it!

I ended up so intrigued by this book I read it in one sitting - I just could not put it down or pry myself away from the bizarre story. The book is an absolute whirlwind of a ride and I found it roller-coaster of emotions.

Anyone going into this thinking it will be as tame as Convenience Store Woman will get a shock, although I would say some of underlining themes are the same. Natsuki is our main protagonist and I felt so much sorrow and pain for her. We follow her as she grows up with a pretty broken household and the only person who truly treats her with any kind of love or understands her is her cousin Yuu. Outside of her homelife, School is troubling and continuously gets worse for her with some horrific outcomes (this is quite a touchy topic I don't want to discuss in my review but worth a trigger warning). This is a book which touches upon the coping mechanisms of a young girl who grows up to have an outlook on life and the 'norms' that are expected of her. It touches upon misogyny, incest, cannibalism, sexual assault and more - so don't be fooled by the short book it packs a punch.

I really enjoyed this book and was thinking about it for a long time afterwards. I really got Ryū Murakami and Han Kang vibes from this (who have written some of my favourite books). Cannot wait to read the next Sayaka Murata novel!

Commissioned via writer for The Skinny:

"Murata is a master at fostering an almost unbearably unsettling mood: her dialogue, translated by frequent collaborator Ginny Tapley Takemori, is self-consciously unnatural, an uncanny simulacrum of human interaction that signposts the falseness that Murata sees in human relationships under capitalism. There is a Matrix-like quality to Murata’s social vision that, once seen, cannot be unseen, surrealism and body horror melding together to unveil a world built on the most manipulative and violent of structures."

Full review: https://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/book-reviews/earthlings-by-sayaka-murata

My town was a collection of nests, a factory for manufacturing babies. I was a tool for the town’s good, in two senses.

Firstly, I had to study hard to become a work tool.

Secondly, I had to be a good girl, so that I could become a reproductive organ for the town.

I would probably be a failure on both counts, I thought.

Earthlings begins when Natsuki is eleven. She feels like an outsider in her immediate family, describing Piyyut the soft toy / magical alien from Planet Popinpobopia who has come to save the planet as her best friend. Natsuki is abused by a teacher at summer cram school but, when she tries to tell someone, no one believes her. However, when she is later discovered having sex with her cousin, she is punished.

The novel then leaps forward to adulthood when Natsuki is thirty-one and married. The marriage is one of convenience – neither Natsuki nor her husband are interested in a sexual relationship – but, other than comments about starting a family, it allows them to escape scrutiny. Neither of them wants to become work tools or reproductive tools for ‘the Factory’. During a trip to the countryside, where Natsuki sees her cousin again for the first time since they had sex, her husband begins to think about disengaging from society and living an alternative lifestyle. It’s a decision that will allow events from the past to resurface and the lives of those involved to change dramatically.

Earthlings considers the effects of trauma and the damage done to people when society hides abusive behaviour and forces shame on the victims. It questions whether the society we’ve created is anything more than a production line. It is violent and shocking with one of the wildest endings I’ve ever read. Food for thought.

I heard a lot about this book and completely understand why people were so impressed by it, it's original, fresh and utterly memorable. Not necessarily the type of book I like to usually read but I was delighted to sample it and would recommend it

I couldn’t stop reading this disturbing novel.
It was too graphic at times (should probably put a trigger warning at the beginning of the book), but it was so weird and an almost hypnotic read.

Convenience Store Woman had its weird moments but was basically a contemporary story. This book takes the weirdness quota and ramps it up to ten...and I loved it! It tells the story of Natsuki, a young girl who has a transformation mirror and talks to an alien while navigating her place in the factory of being an Earthling. Firstly, this is not a comfortable read. Horrific things are discussed in a very matter of fact way, which is quite jarring and serves to highlight just how terrible the events really are. Secondly, this is a very darkly funny book. The way in which Natsuki views the world and her relationships with her cousin, Yuu have a touching and innocent quality to them, despite the darkness that permeates the narrative. Make no mistake, this short book pulls absolutely no punches and goes in a direction I really wasn't expecting, but it is a wonderful read and has cemented Murata as an auto-buy author for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.