Two warnings about this book:
Don’t let the cute hedgehog fool you. This is a very dark book.
Unless your trigger is puppies and rainbows, consider yourself warned.

This is a book in two parts: Natsuki’s childhood, and later.

As a child, Natsuki loved going up into the mountains to visit her grandparents. Every year they would host the whole huge family for a reunion. While there, Natsuki would play exclusively with her cousin, Yuu. This week was their respite from their real life, which was no bed of roses. There, they would pretend to be aliens and magicians, dreaming of escape to their home planet of Popinpobopia.

The second part is set when Natsuki is in her 30s. She still has the mentality of an 11 year old. She is now married to a man, Tomoya, who is also mentally stalled. He convinces Natsuki to take a vacation to the mountain house, where they meet Yuu again. The cousins have not seen each other for over 20 years, due to an event that happened at the last family gathering.

To say that things get weird in this book is an understatement. It’s also possibly the least predictable book I’ve read.

As stated above, this book has a lot of trigger warnings. There is abuse of nearly every kind, and violence, and it’s not sugar-coated. However, these horrific events have importance to the story. This is a psychological novel, about how people respond to abuse. And how those close to the abused react to those responses.

There is a stigma around mental health in many, if not all, cultures, and the author brings attention to that. She points out the flaws in believing that one person’s trauma harms a family’s reputation. She also shows how sweeping the issue under the rug creates more problems later. By showing what could happen in a worst case scenario, the author forces the reader to consider mental health as something that needs treating, not ignoring.

The writing is subtle at times. At other times, it hits the reader over the head. But it’s always effective. The characters were drawn beautifully, though not at all likeable. The storyline moves along at a quick pace- I was surprised, though disgusted, when it ended. The ending wasn’t wrapped up in a bow, but a bow was inferred. Once again, if you have any triggers at all, be warned. This book hits nearly all of them.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a really unique title that I think patrons will love, so I have ordered a couple copies for the library. Thank you so much for the advanced read!

Seldom am I filled with the urge to reread a book immediately. In fact, I dare say I have never had that feeling — until now. Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings swerves between the absurd and the inane, sending the reader on an intoxicating rocket ride into outer space while their feet are still firmly planted on the ground. Her language is evocative and lyrical and marks a stark contrast with the down-to-earth dialogue between characters. This is coupled by Ginny Tapley Takemori’s masterful translation — a seamless and faithful recreation of the original Japanese.

I loved Murata's Convenience Store Woman, but I don't think there was anything I could have done to prepare me for Earthlings. Readers who loved her last may want to adjust their expectations, but fans of Ryu Murakami's Coin Locker Babies will love it.

Link to full review on Tokyo Weekender: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2020/08/book-review-earthlings-by-sayaka-murata-is-a-scathing-review-of-the-society-we-live-in/

So, for me, this was a little too much. Having read and enjoyed Convenience Store Woman - which has, more or less, the same message as this book - I was excited to see what Murata would do with this concept. But where Convenience Store Woman excels because its focus is so narrow and the writing is so tight, this book, which touches on childhood trauma and familial abuse and magical powers and aliens (with a dash of body horror to top everything off) reads as ridiculous rather than insightful. By the end the message is so diluted by the over-the-top-ness of everything going on that you can hardly embrace any of the truth of it. And - I'll just say it - it's gross. The stuff that happens in those last few chapters (and, hell, a number of the earlier ones) is a trial to wade through.

I admire the the idea Murata was going for here, I really do, but this book is pulled in too many directions for it to shine through clearly. I'll keep recommending Convenience Store Woman, but I don't think I'd ever recommend this.

This book needs a slew of trigger warnings, and for that reason, I was very uneasy reading it. I knew that it was that way going in, and had to make sure I was ok reading it, and I was still a bit freaked out.
A seriously transgressive book, not for the light hearted (and maybe moreso than most).
I'd put it on the same level as "Haunted" for disturbing aspects.
Be warned though, it's really hard going in places, and I'll be honest, some of it I had to skip. There are very few books I do the equivalent of covering my eyes and asking if it's done yet, (which is why I mentioned Haunted, that book makes me do it too), but if that's your kind of thing, and you want a surreal, cynical view on society, and you can handle seriously difficult topics from abuse, incest, murder and I think I may have skipped over other stuff, then you may want to go into this one....carefully.
I'll be talking about this and Haunted on my blog, and will return with that link later.
3.5 stars

I'm not sure how to rate this because WTF just happened!

This is a coming of age novel but where some of the young characters are from the planet Popinpopoboa (or think they are) and challenge the Earthlings rules.
It's amazing in places and moving, but in the other places deeply disturbing. The childhood scenes and first half or more of the book I'd give 4 stars, especially about the Earthlings and the factory we are all in, then it all went a bit too weird for me personally at the end.

What an experience though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not like this book AT ALL. It starts out strange and sad and just gets worse. At first I blamed the main character’s strange behavior on her youth and then thought it could have been due to the abuse, but that really doesn’t justify her resulting behavior. Topics such as child abuse, molestation, incest, murder, and cannibalism are not topics I want to read about. This book was not for me!

Earthlings definitely a wild ride of a story!
From abuse, trauma, incest, and even murder

I’ll release a full review on my blog soon! But what can I say about this story it kept me engaged throughout the whole story always making me wonder what’s gonna happen next so much so I found myself spacing out in my actual life thinking about the book.

The main character Natsuki you feel bad for her the whole time because all the adults in her life really abuse her in one way or another and it just seems she can’t catch a break. I also loved the way they used Piyutt her toy hedgehog almost as a coping mechanism for her emotions and to deal with trauma. She even still relies on Piyutt even when we hit a time skip to Natsuki in her 30’s. Although 20 years have passed Natsuki still doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings so much so she starts to resent society referring to it as “The Factory” for the remainder of the book.

I think if I had to nit pick anything about the book it would have to be Natsuki’s husband Tomoya I just wish they would have given more story to his background and family and why he is the way he is also at times I felt Tomoya was just there to advance the story at times sometimes being way to eager to do stuff so much so that Natsuki would be like woah hold on a second but besides his character I think the writing is great.

Overall I definitely recommend this book! I hardly wanted to put it down the whole time I was reading it. And the amount of things that just happen in this book your gonna wonder what will happen next.


Goodreads review link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50269327-earthlings

This is what I expected from the author of Convience Store Woman, but so much weirder.

I liked the first half of this book, it was quirky with a relatable main character who believes she is not human. Her and her Cousin make it a mission to be anything other than an "Earthling".

But the more this book went on, the more ridiculous it got. I get that some books are of an aquired taste but Earthlings just seemed to step into the bazaar category with no rhyme or reason. I would read another translated novel by Sayaka Murata but I wouldn't recommend this book to.. well.. most people. The writing was beautiful, but the story ended up being too weird for even me.

The story quickly turns from quirky to dark and the “magic” is revealed as something very different from the blurb. It’s not a pleasant or easy book, it makes you feel uncomfortable and scared, but the more we talk about topics discussed in Sayaka Murata’s book, the better the conversation becomes. Especially when subjects like this are taboo in Japan and people rarely seek out help in abusive or mentally difficult situations, it’s important to bring them into popular literature that is accessed by a lot of people.

Her writing is very different, but by using simple words and structures she manages to entangle the reader into the story and bring them up-close to the action and the drama that is taking place in the book. I was definitely not prepared for what unfolded, but I love books where the blurb doesn’t give anything away and you don’t know what to expect after each page.

I started Earthlings by Sayaka Murata last night and finished it at 2AM! I could not stop reading. It was like I was trapped in a Popinpobopian tractor beam. Echoing other reviews I have read, if you go into this expecting something similar to Convenience Store Woman you will be horribly mistaken. The superb writing is there. The amazing translation by Ginny Tapley Takemori is there. That the story is a scathing critique of society and its prescribed roles (or the Factory as it is called here), these are the extent of the similarities.

Earthlings starts with Natsuki's annual summer trip to the family home for the Obon festival. She is eleven and accompanied by Piyyut, her stuffed hamster from the planet Popinpobopian, who has given her magic powers but can't speak human. She always looks forward to reuniting with her cousin Yuu who is himself an alien according to his mother. Together they search for the spaceship to take them home but events lead to their separation which enacts the part of the vow they made to each other, survive at all costs.

That is all I really want to say because not knowing wtf was going on is a big part of this reading experience. If you are up for anything and have a high tolerance for disturbing things, then this is for you. I definitely got The Vegetarian (Han Kang) vibes from reading this. I will put the content warnings in my tags comment because they are, in a way, spoilers. Don't look if you want to be totally shocked while reading.

Releasing October 1st. Thank you so much Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the chance to read this. The opinions here are all my own.

This book is quite the adventure and on a surface level it is nothing like Murata's first book. However, there are a few themes that have carried over such as society's desire for everyone to conform and live their life a certain way. However, this is basically a large middle finger to the status quo. Our main character, because she was basically abused by the older members of society as a child in different ways, grows up to rebel against the very foundations of society. She doesn't want to be another cog in the machine, or part in a factory. She wants to be herself, for herself, and she's lucky that she manages to find a few other people to support her in this belief. Sure, if you're someone who likes the idea of 2.5 kids, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence, you're probably going to view this book as pure insanity, but who isn't to say that living life only for the continuation of society and capitalism isn't insanity when viewed through a different angle?

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with an e-ARC of this wild book. However, all thoughts, opinions, and stars are my own.

2.5, rounded up. I had a tough time figuring out how I felt about this one. There are many similarities to Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman--namely, the main character feeling isolated and "alien" and refusing to fit into the norms of society--but the scope is more broad. This works in that Murata's commentary is more effective, and the events that occur are more horrific (TW: sexual abuse of a child).

Did I enjoy reading this? No. Do I respect it? I...think so? Only time will tell.

What did I just read? This book was not for me, and maybe I just don't get Japanese "humor?" This is so dark and filled with so many triggers. For me, this would work better as a Takashi Miike movie than a book.

Natsuki is a young girl who believes she is an alien. Her family is mean to her, her best friend is the hedgehog on the cover of the book. Her cousin Yuu also believes he's an alien and is waiting for the spaceship to take him home. A lot of taboo things happen early on in the book and then we catch up with Natsuki again when she is 32 and is in a marriage of convenience. She and her husband basically live as roommates, both entering into an agreement, mostly to get their families off their backs about finding mates and starting family, like is expected of them. More dark stuff happens, and at the end you're left wondering what you just read.

I guess there's social commentary on Japanese society, expectations and how mental illness is viewed? In any case, I wanted to read the book because the hedgehog on the cover looked cute and I though it was going to be a cute story about a girl and her imaginary bff. Nope.

Many readers like myself fell in love with Murata’s writing thanks to her 2018 (U.S.) release Convenience Store Woman, which demonstrated her talent for writing fascinating misfit characters. In her latest novel, Natsuki is the odd one out in her family. Her best friend, a stuffed animal hedgehog named Piyyut, tells her that he came from planet Popinpobopia, and she is to help him save the Earth. Her cousin Yuu also informs her that he is actually from outer space, and Natsuki begins to wonder about her own origins. She doesn’t fit in here; is she actually from a different planet? I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, but I know many of you want to know that I couldn’t make it to the halfway point: when I reached a scene where a minor is sexually abused by an authority figure, I put the book down. (I wish I could un-read that scene.)

This was such a strange read I’m not sure what to say about it. On one hand, it was a critique of culture where people feel like they’re just cogs in a giant machine and I did appreciate that. However, there were scenes that were just too graphic.

EARTHLINGS is going to be an incredibly divisive book - I just don’t see it being mainstreamed and loved on bookstagram, because it is outrageously taboo and dark and if you don’t squirm while reading then I have questions.

When I finished it yesterday I immediately DMd a friend I was buddy reading it with a gif of Ron Swanson saying “what the hell just happened” and I stand by that reaction 😂 (I had the same reaction to THE VEGETARIAN, which remains just as WTF to me to this very day even though I loved that one, too!)

While CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN leans weird and quirky EARTHLINGS leans halfway to a horror film. Even though everything going on is totally disturbing I was also nodding along to the cultural commentary like “uh huh, that actually makes sense.” 🥴 I’m here for it. It’s fine. I’m fine! Maybe I’m a Popinpobopian now. I don’t know... it’s okaaaaay.

I almost always go into books barely knowing anything about them, but this is one I think everyone should just read without much background knowledge. Just prepare for weird and taboo and dark and disturbing 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. A very interesting read. Look forward to more by this author. This book hit some very dark themes and was hard to read at times, but I find books like this enthralling.

I loved Convenience Store Woman so I was so excited to read another book by Sayaka Murata, however this was very much not for me.

I was interested to start with. I wasn’t interested in the “being from another planet” part, but I didn’t realise this would become such a big part of the book later. I thought the storyline with the teacher was the most interesting part, and I thought it would delve deeper into this. And maybe it did! Honestly I just didn’t really get it at all.

I started to become interested again in the relationship with the husband, but as soon as the plot started to progress it just got too bizarre for me.

I’m fine with strange. I don’t mind a bit of weird. I love anything dark. But this was just too weird and too confusing to me and by the end just too gross and nonsensical.

This wasn’t for me, but I’ve seen a lot of 5 star reviews around so I think I just didn’t get it!

I put off reading this book, as I knew it would be strange. What an understatement! I’m not sure how to review this as I’ve not read anything like it, ever. If you have any anxieties or triggers I would not recommend. Sayaka Murata has a vivid imagination to come up with this story. At its best, extremely creative and at its worst, downright depressing, horrific, and gruesome. It has parable elements to it, and I understand the point about society being made. That said, if you enjoy out-of-this-world fantasy, mental health issues, and novelty books, you might like this book.
I did not.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.