Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Das Seidenraupenzimmer by Sayaka Murata

173 reviews

char_a_lot_te'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? It's complicated

4.25

TRAUMATISING 😭😭 please look up the content warnings for this one

a very shocking followup to Convenience Store Woman that explores similar themes taken to their extremes, but perhaps Murata's take on those themes have taken on a bit more nuance? especially with that ending. 

its a little disorganised, perhaps, but i can see what its going for. its a rather dizzying exploration into the effects of trauma and the intricacies of negotiating one's place in society

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

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

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

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

yanaorwhatever's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Body horror

chireadsandchill's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

thebakafied's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Bullying and Death

cjones12's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Sexual violence, Violence, and Cannibalism

thursdd4y's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

PLEASE take note of all content warnings before reading this book - it can be extremely triggering. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

wisteriaweird's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.5

So disturbing, grotesque, and unhinged that I can't in good conscience recommend it to most readers - but captivating nonetheless. Would recommend checking for content warnings if so inclined, it's a lot. Would probably be rated higher but the ending left me in a cold sweat in a bad way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Bullying, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Suicide attempt