femke495's review
3.0
2.5*
The ending was just too much. I can see what the author wanted with this work, and it could have been really good, but I think it lost all of its purpose by the way it was handled.
The ending was just too much. I can see what the author wanted with this work, and it could have been really good, but I think it lost all of its purpose by the way it was handled.
alexblackreads's review
5.0
Do I tag this as horror? It's kind of horror, which makes it one of the only horror books I've ever enjoyed. This also cements Sayaka Murata as one of my favorite authors. I adored every second of this very short book.
It is so horrifically sad in a real world sense. This poor young girl is being abused in so many ways and she uses a number of very unhealthy coping mechanisms to do so. It's heartbreaking. She quite literally deludes herself while offering scathing commentary on the state of the world and the people in it. She survives by separating herself from the "earthlings," as she refers to them.
But then it takes a turn into the horror genre with a lot of gore, and it becomes horrific in a very different way that hits just as hard. I've never read a book that took such a turn like this and worked so well. It genuinely felt like two different books, but they flowed into each so well that I genuinely couldn't separate them if I wanted to. Like there was no other place for this story to go, yet I could not have seen it coming in a million years. It was beautifully written.
I don't think this one will have nearly the wide appeal of Convenience Store Woman, and to be honest I don't think I love this one quite as much, but this was a stunning book. It felt like a gut punch. It broke my heart and made me want to throw up and completely changed my perception while it was doing so. This is a masterpiece and I adore Murata's writing. My favorite book of the year so far by a wide margin.
It is so horrifically sad in a real world sense. This poor young girl is being abused in so many ways and she uses a number of very unhealthy coping mechanisms to do so. It's heartbreaking. She quite literally deludes herself while offering scathing commentary on the state of the world and the people in it. She survives by separating herself from the "earthlings," as she refers to them.
But then it takes a turn into the horror genre with a lot of gore, and it becomes horrific in a very different way that hits just as hard. I've never read a book that took such a turn like this and worked so well. It genuinely felt like two different books, but they flowed into each so well that I genuinely couldn't separate them if I wanted to. Like there was no other place for this story to go, yet I could not have seen it coming in a million years. It was beautifully written.
I don't think this one will have nearly the wide appeal of Convenience Store Woman, and to be honest I don't think I love this one quite as much, but this was a stunning book. It felt like a gut punch. It broke my heart and made me want to throw up and completely changed my perception while it was doing so. This is a masterpiece and I adore Murata's writing. My favorite book of the year so far by a wide margin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Cannibalism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
palpatines_cat's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A good book that I definitely won't be reading again. A fascinating look into a child's perspective of the traumatic adult world. If you like chaotic, uncomfortable and strange books then this one is for you.
mawa_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sierrrarosebaby's review against another edition
dark
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
4.5
madmuon's review
dark
medium-paced
4.75
what the fuck.. nothing like what i was expecting, absolutely insane. it just got weirder and weirder and made me so uncomfortable i loved it.
inkylabyrinth's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
What! The! Fuck!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gaslighting
classicher's review
dark
mysterious
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
4.0