Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

390 reviews

adiajamille's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Absolutely horrifying from start to finish. Heartbreaking. The storytelling is amazing and despite the grotesque subject matter from start to finish, it’s difficult to put down. 

Definitely check the content warnings if that’s a concern. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Murder

starfish_endymion's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Incredibly different from Convenience Store Woman, though brilliant in terms of structure and prose. The writing is concise, clear and to the point, with the same voice that made Murata's last novel so relatable and easy to read. 

But Natsuki is not Keiko. The way she reflects on her childhood, from happy summers with her cousins in Akishina to horrific abuse that she endured back home, paints a portrait of a believable and complicated woman in a short space of time.

Chapter 2 onward was very hard to read because of the heavy subject matter though the scenes are made somewhat bearable when seen through Natsuki's well-crafted lens: she believes she's an alien with magical powers. From this perspective, the way she disassociates is treated like a superpower. It's a very real portrayal of how a lot of kids cope in response to traumatic situations.

This book is very well done, by way of pacing, plot and voice. The score is very much based on personal preference -- I felt very frustrated by just how obtuse and cruel the "Earthlings" were. While I understand they needed to be that way for illustrative purposes, I was left feeling disheartened and frustrated by the end.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you do decide to pick it up, consider the triggers warnings beforehand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

awalsh1212001's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Infertility, and Infidelity

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

lailybibliography's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

"...it's a wife's duty to be intimate, you know. Tomoya finds it hard to hold down a job, doesn't he? You have to support him in that regard, Natsuki. You're his wife!"
My body was not my own. I had always been secretly shirking the role I had been assigned as a tool of society. The time had come for me to be taken to task for this, I thought.

There is no plot to explain, really. If one truly tried to explain in detail what happens, you will sound insane and thoroughly gross-out anybody in hearing proximity. It is equal parts outrageous, bizarre, uncomfortable and truly, truly disturbing beyond words. The grotesquerie though, serves an important purpose - it's a cutting commentary on bodily autonomy, capitalism, Japanese societal expectation and the longterm traumas of childhood physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It is all described in graphic, nauseatingly straightforward prose, the simplistic language only helped to draw attention to the horror of banality; a never-ending cycle of school, work, reproduction over and over again. It is as if protagonist Natsuki is forever stuck in a state of perpetual childhood trauma, unable to maturely comprehend the horrors perpetrated on her body by those meant to protect her. It seems only natural then why she so doggedly rejects humanity and the physicality of her body (her partial deafness and ageusia due to childhood sexual assault by a tutor). For her, it is merely a vessel of meat and bones keeping her trapped on Earth, continually victimized by adults and wider society. The frankness in laying out the objectives of 'The Factory' (Natsuki and her husband Tomoya's term for society) and unflinching affirmation of the discriminatory systems of oppression underpinning modern late-capitalist Japan (i.e. misogyny, neuro-/ableism, homophobia, ace/arophobia) gets very uncomfortable to read.

 

My mother-in-law sighed. "Look, Tomoya. Do it a lot and make a family, then once the relationship has cooled, you play around outside the 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?..."

Gee no wonder your son is a sexually traumatized freak on the verge of a complete psychotic break, lady.  

Is it truly all that horrifying for Natsuki, Tomoya and Yuu to relinquish societal norms and abandon themselves to their basest desires? How were the actions of those around them anymore inhumane than the gradual descent into psychosis, isolation and cannibalism? It's a challenging perspective and Sayaka Murata's prose definitely made me consider why certain things we are societally 'required' to do (go to school, stay employed, marry and have children, etc.) are so enforced when there is so much violence and coercion inherent to it? Why we are so adamant on dismissing platonic companionship in favour of sexual intimacy, which often brings along abuse, conformity and dangerous power dynamics? How one is meant to survive in the Factory when it purports to value personal individuality, yet prosecutes any disturbance of the status quo?

It was ludicrous. Grown-ups used children to satisfy their sexual desires, yet the very idea of children having sex of their own volition sent them into a total fit. It was laughable.

Truthfully, I cannot in good conscious ever recommend this deeply unsettling bildungsroman. This is one, I think, should be found and read by oneself. It's fast-paced, but reflective. There is a lot to contemplate with this one. What is indisputable though is the impressive literary talent of author Sayaka Murata. Her reputation precedes her and rightfully so. Earthlings, without a doubt, stands out as some of the grimmest, outlandish and subversive novels I have read, probably ever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Incest, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Eating disorder, Infertility, Infidelity, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

_wyatts's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Cannibalism, and Gaslighting

juliiitschka's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Disturbing but great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Vomit, and Abandonment

kittytales's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

My current favorite novel of all time, but difficult to recommend because of it's very twisted subject matters. What can I say, I love it when a woman writer explores weird topics. Interesting social commentary. Very graphic depictions of abuse that makes me sick and heart-broken, which helps make the writing very effective and powerful. Those who are triggered by these topics please stay away.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Body horror and Mental illness

bensanda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I don’t know what I just read…. It’s good, really good in some ways, but not at all what I was expecting and intense. Very very intense. The cover does not prepare you for what you are about to read. It speaks excellently to anyone who has ever felt like an alien on this planet, or questioned the status quo of society. Be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading but it’s worth the ride. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

renjamin's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Murder