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kimapede's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual assault
lucyduller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I love a short-story collection; it’s a great way to get to know an author’s style and get vignettes of many different stories. I also really like Sayaka Murata’s novels, in particular the wildly popular Convenience Store Woman, which I highly recommend you read!
This however, was really disappointing. It’s tricky because for many of these stories, I get what she is doing…I think.
I think she’s trying to subvert norms and tell a story from the perspective of a societal outsider. In some cases, I think that worked quite well. The short stories I actually enjoyed were: Hatchling, A Summer Night’s Kiss, Two’s Family, The Time of the Large Star, A Clean Marriage and Body Magic
The rest however were pretty disturbing. Cannibalism, being a human building, an affair with a curtain (yes a literal curtain). Some of them felt like half formed ideas, where the story gave gruesome detail about the weird disturbing parts without the reflection or the zoom out on the bigger picture that makes the story make sense. So for a lot of this book, I had a confused face, as pictured in the post, teehee.
I can confidently say these stories are unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I think it would be interesting for anyone interested in social anthropology to read, but otherwise, I’d recommend skipping this one and read Convenience Store Woman instead. Unless of course you would like to read some disturbing, disgusting, gruesome, odd stories — if that is the case then this collection of short stories is for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Sexual content, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Stalking
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, and Excrement
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Death, Incest, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual harassment
tofi_15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Uncomfortable... Really uncomfortable. I really liked A First-Rate Material, Life Ceremony and Hatchling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Cannibalism