_kouppi_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
Middle school was definitely a tough and challenging time for myself, and so it is for the 14-year-old narrator who goes through relentless bullying, including physical abuse, because of his lazy eye. The continuous torment has worn him down to the point where he feels defeated, believing that nothing can change his situation. However, things take a turn when he encounters a classmate, Kojima, who is also a victim of bullying as well. She starts sending him handwritten notes, and he's drawn to her unique writing style and her voice, which reminds him of a 6B pencil – soft and rigid, almost unbreakable. Even though they seldom meet in person, their friendship deepens through their written correspondence. During a summer break visit to an art museum, Kojima introduces him to her favorite painting, which she calls "Heaven." The painting depicts a man and a woman who have found harmony after enduring immense suffering.
Although "Heaven" wasn't my first Kawakami book, its definitely a different one. Set in Japan in the early 1990s, it looks like its going to be a coming-of-age story about two outsiders who find comfort in each other's company. However, they aren't seeking a typical romantic love. Trapped in their suffocating present, they are on a quest for answers to a fundamental question: why do we suffer? The narrator's and Kojima's in-depth conversations to explore this question. Kojima has a well-defined personal philosophy, which she shares through monologues. She believes that everything, even suffering, has meaning and can be transformative. She says that, in the end, we'll reach a place or understanding that wouldn't have been possible without enduring all the pain and hardship. But what do the bullies believe in? In a pivotal and heart-wrenching conversation, the narrator confronts one of his tormentors with this question. The bully, Momose, dismisses the idea, scoffing at the narrator's moral conviction and arguing that he shouldn't be responsible for considering others' feelings.
It's definitely a book focused on human condition. Messy and raw emotions of being a teenager. There's a definite vulnerability and passion in building friendships. The powerful contrast of the two main characters are a not so simple understanding of weakness. It's definitely thought-provoking and at times, gut-wrenching. The brutal encounters of the narrator, making us share in his fear and pain. The horrifying reality of childhood bullying is exposed to the maximum in this book. The meaning and understanding of pain is just incredible.
Although "Heaven" wasn't my first Kawakami book, its definitely a different one. Set in Japan in the early 1990s, it looks like its going to be a coming-of-age story about two outsiders who find comfort in each other's company. However, they aren't seeking a typical romantic love. Trapped in their suffocating present, they are on a quest for answers to a fundamental question: why do we suffer? The narrator's and Kojima's in-depth conversations to explore this question. Kojima has a well-defined personal philosophy, which she shares through monologues. She believes that everything, even suffering, has meaning and can be transformative. She says that, in the end, we'll reach a place or understanding that wouldn't have been possible without enduring all the pain and hardship. But what do the bullies believe in? In a pivotal and heart-wrenching conversation, the narrator confronts one of his tormentors with this question. The bully, Momose, dismisses the idea, scoffing at the narrator's moral conviction and arguing that he shouldn't be responsible for considering others' feelings.
It's definitely a book focused on human condition. Messy and raw emotions of being a teenager. There's a definite vulnerability and passion in building friendships. The powerful contrast of the two main characters are a not so simple understanding of weakness. It's definitely thought-provoking and at times, gut-wrenching. The brutal encounters of the narrator, making us share in his fear and pain. The horrifying reality of childhood bullying is exposed to the maximum in this book. The meaning and understanding of pain is just incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
teriodvarkova88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Violence
melanija's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Child abuse
lisamarshall17's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Self harm
plumdustsuns's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It took me very long to get back to this book after the scene in the gymnasium as it was just really hard for me to get through.
Upon return a year later, I had almost forgotten what I had read before. I wish it was a constant experience instead.
It was really beautiful in parts and I appreciate Kawakami’s ability to weave complex character dynamics within seemingly “simple” settings. But I think the layers of complexity may have been complemented by more elaboration and plot than just all the brutality at times.
Upon return a year later, I had almost forgotten what I had read before. I wish it was a constant experience instead.
Spoiler
However, I was rather disappointed by Kojima’s ending. She didn’t get as much of a ‘retribution’ or ‘fixing’ as Eyes. And the ‘I never saw her after that’ felt very… flat, albeit shocking. I required more explanation.It was really beautiful in parts and I appreciate Kawakami’s ability to weave complex character dynamics within seemingly “simple” settings. But I think the layers of complexity may have been complemented by more elaboration and plot than just all the brutality at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
sunflowersarepretty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
wth?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Child death
Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma
lydiavsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Oh boi, this was a heavy one. Heaven follows our two main characters in middle school as they deal with severe bullying, and how their trauma brings them together in a desperate, and often dysfunctional, friendship.
Such a raw portrayal of brutal human experience, of abuse, and what people can do to each other.
I rarely felt compelled to pick this one up, partly because of how difficult many of the scenes were to read, but also because it didn't fully grab my attention. For such a short book it did take me a little while to read. I can't really say I 'enjoyed' it, but it did definitely have an impact and is very skillfully written.
Please don't underestimate the content warnings with this one
Such a raw portrayal of brutal human experience, of abuse, and what people can do to each other.
I rarely felt compelled to pick this one up, partly because of how difficult many of the scenes were to read, but also because it didn't fully grab my attention. For such a short book it did take me a little while to read. I can't really say I 'enjoyed' it, but it did definitely have an impact and is very skillfully written.
Please don't underestimate the content warnings with this one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
conspystery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m conflicted about this book. It’s deceptive in how shallow it appears, especially towards the beginning; the writing style is subdued and polite almost to the point of clinicality, and the main character’s plight seems painfully simple. But it’s so much more than that. Kojima’s character arc is particularly fascinating, and so are her impacts on the narrator-- she’s presented sympathetically and ironically at once in her ideas about how best to deal with bullying. Momose is her narrative foil, the embodiment of the opposite extreme of these ideas. Heaven dives deep into the philosophy of bullying, and neither of the two main ways it’s presented are particularly appealing; Kojima is too willing to accept needless suffering, and Momose is too willing to fall into nihilism and hopelessness to care about anything, let alone other people.
I think this book’s point is to balance these ideas about pain, to emphasize the importance of understanding that some suffering is out of our control while also asserting morality wherever it can be applied and standing up against needless pain when possible. It notes its own false dichotomy with how the main character responds to the ideas he’s shown. The way it makes this point is a bit meandering at times, with lots of scenes which feel like they compound the issues in the novel far past its main theme, and often deeply disturbing to read in its detail. Yet there are genuinely beautiful moments in this book as well, and the simple but precise writing highlights them in contrast with their darker, more uncomfortable counterparts. Overall, I liked what this book had to say about the importance of balance, and I also enjoyed the uncompromisingly sublime scenes (like at the very end of the novel.) The discomfort of the rest of the book was necessary to an extent, but some of it-- especially the scenes which were not explicitly, directly connected to the furthering of the philosophical content of the novel-- was a bit much for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, and Medical trauma
faithemm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
lotus440's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence