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A review by qi_
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
i have always heard sayaka murata being described as a very nonconformist in her writing and that definitely shows in this short story collection. my individual ratings of each story averaged at 3.7!
this really is a stand-out collection due to all the weird and fascinating concepts sayaka murata is able to dream up. her creativity definitely reflects well in short story collections since it allows her to differentiate ideas and really flex her ability to craft multiple imaginative stories. i was really impressed with the consistency of good concepts so even if the execution wasn't always great the ideas were always strong.
in general, the execution of her story ideas was great: she was able to convince the reader that 'this is totally normal' while secretly working in strangeness until you are met with the realisation that this story was not how you pictured it. i think this is best seen in the story, Poochie. however, i found some stories to feel a little pointless because they were just too short to really explore anything. i felt this in, The Time of a Large Star and Two Families.
my favourite stories were: Hatchlings, Body Magic, Life Ceremony and First-Rate Material.
this really is a stand-out collection due to all the weird and fascinating concepts sayaka murata is able to dream up. her creativity definitely reflects well in short story collections since it allows her to differentiate ideas and really flex her ability to craft multiple imaginative stories. i was really impressed with the consistency of good concepts so even if the execution wasn't always great the ideas were always strong.
in general, the execution of her story ideas was great: she was able to convince the reader that 'this is totally normal' while secretly working in strangeness until you are met with the realisation that this story was not how you pictured it. i think this is best seen in the story, Poochie. however, i found some stories to feel a little pointless because they were just too short to really explore anything. i felt this in, The Time of a Large Star and Two Families.
my favourite stories were: Hatchlings, Body Magic, Life Ceremony and First-Rate Material.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content