I love Sayaka Murata. Sayaka Murata is an instant buy for me, so I was really excited for this. Vanishing World takes place in an alternate universe/future where sex has become taboo and nearly obsolete all together. In a way, I almost expected this to be weirder. It's strange, but pretty tame for most of the book, until it ramps up in the last third or so. I wouldn't necessarily say it's too slow of a pace, but I expected the "main" plot of the Experiment City to begin way earlier than it did. Murata takes the time to build the society that the main character, Amane, lives in. Once the plot gets going, it definitely gets just as weird as I expected, and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sayaka Murata did it again. She got me in her chokehold with this dystopian, bizarre world of abnormality is the new normal, traditional copulation is disgusting, abstaining from sex is a new fad, husband and wife does not engage in marital sex bcus thats a taboo and incest, you can have as many lovers you want, fictional or real. You dont even have to get married bcus love and sex is atrocious and I freaking dig this 🤣. My gosh, this was peak unhinged of Murata I have ever encountered and one that I think will turn off a lot of people if you read this with a certain set of mind. But if you have been an avid reader of Sayaka Murata then you know that she loves to challenge the quote unquote normal behaviour in the society and flip it over in Vanishing World. In this world, man can get pregnant with a fetus hanging outside of their body, normal husband and wife is considered family member and family does not make love to each other, engaging in sexual activity is a thing of the past and marriages are vastly different than what it is in the past. Artifical inseminatiom is the new evolution in mankind to create another human being and in the Experiment city, everyone female or male is mother to all the children born there. Children are raised by the city as a community and not as a family.

Our main character, Amane is one of the rare case of her parents birthed her in a natural copulation and her mother had drilled into her that love and sex is a form of genuine love. Thus, Amane was obsessed with the pleasurable sensation of sex, she fall in love with many people both human and 2D characters. Married to her husband, they still continue living like everyone else with their own lovers as partner. What I found so interesting about this book is how it question the nature of the family, the standardised perception or generalisation of what a normal or complete family unit should looks like. How Experiment City is the exact opposite of this notion and unashamedly proud of this. I was laughing, cackling and giggling the entire time I'm reading this bcus my gosh, do I feel called out in some of the scenes. Amane was relatable in her ideas of love & romance which I could not agree more but her obsession with sexual activity does get borderline extreme at times and by the end, I was shooked and be like what the f 😭😭😭.

Sayaka Murata, you are one amazing woman and I will stand by you till the end

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Antlatic for the review copy

Vanishing World creates a society in which sex between married people is considered incest and artificial insemination is taking over procreation. As artificial insemination advances, sex altogether becomes archaic and bodily urges are more inconvenient than exciting. Amane adjusts to this changing world more easily than anticipated, always wanting to be part of what’s “normal” after being raised by a mother who swears by the purity of having sex for both pleasure and to conceive. In Vanishing World, Sayaka Murata recreates the story of Adam and Eve, and makes readers question the future of sex if it’s no longer necessary to have children. In her typical format, Murata constructs a naked version of the world, exploring what generates our most basic human impulses.

Thank you Sayaka Murata, Grove Press, and Netgalley for advance access to Vanishing World!

This is my second book by Sayaka Murata and I’m still processing the entire thing, especially the ending! I wanted this ARC as it was such an interesting concept however I felt uncomfortable the entire read. I think this wasn’t for me but others will love. This gave cult horror vibes which I think could have been developed upon. Didn’t love but feel like I didn’t fully understand what Murata was trying to do. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This wasn't really for me, I think the writing style was just too stark and straight forward, I was hoping for more nuance to each character.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this eARC!

OOoOooOOOokay. WOW. The concept of this book was entirely new to me and that was very apparent in my reactions whilst reading.

The synopsis was interesting where Amane was created due to her parent’s copulation but that’s considered taboo. Marriages are deemed “clean” and sex in a marriage is considered incest. A dystopian society called Paradise-Eden is created so that everyone is considered “one big family” and EVERYONE is “mother”. You follow Amane as she’s a child into adulthood as she learns more about herself and the world around her. You see her grow and adapt while she’s questioning what she was taught by her mother growing up but while also trying to be ‘normal’ in society.

The meat and potatoes of this book was a jump scare TO ME. This could be due to the fact that I don’t read dystopians often but let me tell you this was interesting to say the LEAST. Finding out the sexual norms in this society will make you question is it in our nature to be this way or can we learn to live a “clean” life without being sexually intimate with other people? Or will we always resort to our innate selves and history repeat itself?

4.5 [publishing 24 April 2025]
"Is there any such thing as a brain that hasn’t been brainwashed? If anything, it’s easier to go insane in the way best suited for your world."
"Normality is the creepiest madness there is. This was all insane, yet it was so right."

This is easily Sayaka's best novel yet! Vanishing World is a hugely unique dystopian in which all babies in the 'Eden' society are conceived through artificial insemination. Children are raised by an expansive community where the traditional family unit does not exist. In 'Eden' both women and men (fitted with an artificial womb) are placed in an annual lottery and selected at random for group, artificial insemination on the 24th of December.
The novel explores important and current themes such as bodily autonomy, reproductive rights as well as the expectations of women within our society - all of which are presented within Sayaka's previous publications. Also similar to previous work the book covers dark topics and projects discomfort throughout. However, the writing style felt more developed and advanced in comparison to both 'Earthlings' and 'Convenience Store Woman'. Another incredible translation from Ginny Tapley Takemori - my absolute dream team!
I thoroughly enjoyed Vanishing World and it is definitely a new go to recommendation for me - as usual I can't wait to see what Murata publishes next!

"Was this place a kind of factory to manufacture uniformly convenient people?"
"Normal is the most terrifying madness in the world."

(Thank you to Grove Press/Granta Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!)
*look up CWs before picking this up

I was given an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic.


Overflowing with both scenes and quotes so bizarre you'll want to share with people and moments that may spur personal introspection, Vanishing World leaves you with plenty to think about. I've read other works by Murata and this one might not be my favorite, but it is definitely an interesting ride.

Overall, the plot leaves a bit to be desired and the ending feels abrupt. I just wanted more to happen in general. I still had an enjoyable time though, I'm always here for the weird vibes.

Low 3/5 stars. I think if Vanishing World was not written by Sayaka Murata, this is not a book I would have picked up. At this point, I will read any book of hers if translated to English. I loved Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings. I have also followed her a lot through interviews, and she is such a fascinating author to me. Although I felt lukewarm about Life Ceremony, it’s an interesting collection of short stories that showcases how she has processed some of her core themes as an author.

However, with Vanishing World, it is another lukewarm one for me. To be spoiler-free, it’s obvious this book is Murata making commentary on various aspects of modern (Japanese) culture: unhealthy romantic obsession over fictional characters, declining birth rates, current dating culture, masking emotions, and the rejection of old beliefs and practices. If our world had strayed from traditional relationships, marriages, and procreation almost a century ago, what would it look like? It’s clear that Murata was curious to explore a world very different than the one that suffocated previous characters of hers (available in English). Maybe I’m missing some layers to this book (I'm doubtful), but I feel it is more exploratory without making any compelling points or scenes for a majority of the novel. In that way, most of it reads very similarly to many of the stories in Life Ceremony. Vanishing World takes a surface-level concept and doesn't really do as much with it as I had hoped.

The world Murata created in this book is really interesting, but all we really see is just a character living through it rather than character-driven story or plot-driven action. The most action we see isn’t until almost the very end, which is by fair the strongest section of the book. But hey, at least it’s a fairly short read!

I will say, though, there are some aspects of the world-building that almost argued for it being idyllic, in an odd way. How I interpreted it, not everything seems entirely strange or alien. Again, the book poses a central question: if our world had strayed from traditional relationships, marriages, and procreation almost a century ago, “what kind of animal would we be?” One side of this exploration is very sterilized, cold, and individualistic. There is a heavy reliance on convenience. Amane, the narrator and main character, is constantly caught between more traditional values instilled in her by her mother (regarding relationships and procreation) and more individualistic, “convenient” values pushed onto her by society—both of which are at odds with each other. She doesn’t have a lot of room to have opinions for herself that aren’t directly influenced by one of the two: "Is there any such thing as a brain that hasn't been brainwashed? If anything, it's easier to go insane in the way best suited for your world." The other side of Murata’s answer embraces becoming a mother at a much older age, active fatherhood (+ actual mpreg), aromanticism, asexuality, platonic partnership, and openness surrounding non-heteronormative love.

To me, the contrast between that and the more nonsensical or unsettling parts of this world added an interesting depth. Knowing Murata’s other works and some aspects of her life outside of her writing, I feel I can make the judgement in good faith that Vanishing World is not trying to equate those two sides. Rather, they add different layers to the book’s setting. In general, I think Murata as an author argues for a middle ground between the extremes she likes to explore: “Even if this Paradise-Eden system ultimately failed, we had at least discovered that there were many other possibilities.” Despite how strange modern society is in the world of Vanishing World, Amane’s more traditional mother excuses problematic, harmful behavior in men. Her mother’s attitudes towards sex and relationships aligns with our world’s norms, but at the same time Amane feels justified in rejecting her mother because of her mother’s more harmful ways of thinking. Just like Amane’s world has problems obvious to us, our world and our norms have plenty of problems, too.

On a side note, this is actually a pretty queer-friendly book, at least regarding various characters’ perspectives. This isn’t rare, but certainly not common in Japanese lit. I would really like to see a concept like this (with another author) explore how trans and genderqueer people fit in a world where “biological sex” doesn’t play a role in having blood-related children.

Aside from some of the elements I found interesting, most of the content of this story overall wasn’t very engaging for me. The dialogue can be very on-the-nose and characters say exactly what they mean. Amane isn't very distinct (maybe on purpose) or compelling, and there are a lot of uncomfortable scenes that felt pointless because of it. Part 3 has the most potential, and I feel this would have been a much stronger book if its focus on Chiba was more central to the rest of the plot. Still avoiding any spoilers, it is a very interesting portrayal of forced sameness society and the idea that the sole meaning of life is to have children. Amane laments to herself, “Both my husband and I had ingested too much of this world, and we had become normal people here. Normality is the creepiest madness there is. This was all insane, yet it was so right.”

It is genuinely cool to see Murata veer into speculative fic, but overall I didn’t really like this book! However, that’s entirely based on my preferences while reading, so who knows what another reader will think. This is the kind of book that will be polarizing, especially the ending... but I think that’s just Sayaka Murata. Personally, I would much prefer seeing books and other media with a specific, direct perspective that won’t be for everyone. I think that makes art infinitely more interesting, even if I don’t always like it.

Vanishing World was not as worthwhile of a read as I had hoped. It’s clunky, and there’s way more telling than showing. It’s my least favorite of Murata in English, but I will read the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next. It's also important to recognize that this book was written directly before Convenience Store Woman, and I think that lines up with my thoughts. Murata's writing gets stronger with each chronological release, so I'll be excited when Changeability, her novel after Earthlings, is translated. I haven’t read the short story A Clean Marriage, but I can see this book working as a spiritual follow-up based on its premise for those who enjoyed the story.

An incredibly thought provoking exploration of considerations on motherhood. I read Convenience Store Woman and absolutely loved it for its truth and and deep human insight, and got exactly the same satisfaction from this book! Thank you for allowing me to read!

As with many of Murata’s works, this story felt more like an exploration of a concept than a cohesive plot. That’s not to say it was bad—on the contrary, I couldn’t put it down, and the author’s prose was as wonderful as ever. However, I found myself wanting more by the time I reached the ending, and a few ideas were repeated so often despite them being clear enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the free eARC!

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I don’t mean that in a bad way at all! This book was extremely poetic, and very thought provoking.

The story takes place in an alternate Japan. Married couples do not have sex. Sex between married couples is seen as incest. Babies are no longer conceived through copulation…they are conceived through artificial insemination. Sex is a thing of the past. Amane was born the old, traditional way. She has many “lovers” throughout her life. These lovers are not what we think of lovers. Most of them are anime characters, and characters from other forms of media.

The story follows Aname through her childhood, up through her adulthood, including becoming a Mother. It was a very fast read, and the story kept spinning more and more out of control as it went on. I loved it! It’s a great take on society, and loneliness. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this book! As a huge Murata fan, this was highly anticipated. Though I felt like the usual Murata-isms were very much so prevalent throughout the book, I did feel as though it was missing the cohesiveness that her last 3 books had. Though I understood the underlying message of trying to confront the social norms around child bearing, family structures, marriage, love & relationships, I did leave feeling like I wanted more. I would have liked for these messages to be driven home more, rather than merely challenged.

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata (To be released in April 2025)
Shōmetsu sekai (Dwindling or Vanishing World) in Japanese (released in 2015)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, a huge thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Vanishing World in exchange for an honest review!

Secondly, OH. MY. GOD. Sayaka Murata has truly outdone herself with this one. If you thought Convenience Store Woman or Earthlings was bizarre, Vanishing World takes “unhinged” to a whole new level. This dystopian masterpiece is Murata at her boldest and most provocative, tackling taboos and societal norms with an unsettling precision that will leave you reeling.

Set in a dystopian Japan where sex between married couples is considered incestuous and procreation occurs entirely through artificial insemination, the novel explores a society obsessed with control, conformity, and the eradication of “messy” emotions. It’s a horrifyingly fascinating vision of the future, one that feels disturbingly plausible as it examines issues like declining birth rates, social isolation, parasocial relationships, and the commodification of human life.

The story unfolds in three parts, each more engrossing (and unsettling) than the last. We first meet ten-year-old Amane, who discovers her parents committed the ultimate taboo: they conceived her through natural procreation, an act of love that is reviled in her world. As Amane grows up, she does her best to conform, cultivating intense relationships with anime characters and sticking to the socially acceptable practice of extra-marital sex. But beneath her attempts at fitting in, Amane can’t help but question the bizarre norms around her.

Part Two deepens the story’s complexity, albeit with a slightly slower pace, setting the stage for Part Three—an unrelenting, mind-bending climax that cements Murata’s brilliance. When Amane and her husband move to Eden, an experimental town where artificial insemination is the norm and children are raised collectively and anonymously, the narrative delves into even darker territory. The collective parenting model, the artificial wombs fitted onto men, and the uniformity imposed on the residents are both horrifying and eerily fascinating. It’s Brave New World meets The Handmaid’s Tale, but with Murata’s level of bizarre at it’s highest peak.

Murata’s writing is dry, precise, matter-of-fact, yet utterly engrossing. She has a way of making the bizarre feel normal and the normal feel alien, forcing readers to question their own perceptions of love, family, and identity. Her exploration of parasocial relationships—people’s attachment to fictional characters as replacements for romantic love—felt especially poignant and relevant in today’s world.

The ending? Let’s just say it left me sitting in stunned silence, processing the sheer madness of what I had just read. It’s disconcerting, fascinating, and utterly unhinged—the kind of finale that guarantees this book will stay with you long after you’ve closed it.

My only critique is that the middle part of the story was a little slow for me. Otherwise, everything was fantastic experience reading. I finished the book in two sittings.

Vanishing World is not for everyone, but it’s an experience like no other. It’s a book that will make you uncomfortable, challenge your worldview, and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about human nature. You’ll either love it or hate it—there’s no in-between—but that’s precisely what makes it so brilliant.

If you’re looking for something thought-provoking, wildly imaginative, and completely out there, Vanishing World is the book for you. Fans of dystopian fiction, feminist literature, and bold, unconventional storytelling—this one is a must-read.

Thank you, Sayaka Murata, for yet another unforgettable ride. Now, excuse me while I immediately add Earthlings to my TBR pile.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for giving me an e-ARC of the Vanishing World.

I have been a fan of Sayaka Murata's work since Convenience Store Woman. I love how she challenges social norms in her books, but I have to say I'm quite disappointed with this new novel.

Vanishing World is a dystopian novel set in post-WW2 Japan where the act of sex is not normal and considered incest between married couples, and procreation is only done via artificial insemination. Chiba Prefecture is turned into an Experimental City, where all babies are sent into the Center to be raised, men can get pregnant, and everyone is a Mother.

The more I read, the more confused I became. I was so sure this was Murata criticizing society as a whole as usual. But by part 2, I wasn't so sure what her intentions are anymore and I was just uncomfortable. Part 2 was also very repetitive. Amane getting married, then divorced, then finding new lovers -- same with the 2 husbands and her lovers that made it into the story. Saku, her final husband, and his relationship with his lover -- these took up too much time.

The Experimental City? Now, that was interesting. Too bad it was only appeared by part 3 and there wasn't enough space for it. I wish she had focused on this instead of the repetitive themes of cheating and incest.

As for the ending, I am not a fan of it. It's too absurd. This is all too absurd for me and I'm not sure what the point of this novel is. I'm 100% sure I missed it.

Props to Ginny Tapely Takemori for translating Sayaka Murata's world.

This was my first Murata and it is definitely not for the uninitiated. I had no idea what I was stepping into. It was very strange, and I almost DNFed except that it was a fast read and I was curious as to how it would end. The ending was just as strange as the rest of the book, and with speculative worlds it's important to me to understand why the world is constructed as it is and what the larger meaning is behind it. While I could trace some of that, I truly did not understand the point of all the bizarre decisions that were made. Further, the characters were unrelatable and I did not feel invested in any of them. That said, I admire Sayaka Murata's boldness and originality.

Sayaka's Vanishing World continues to maintain her signature style of crafting relatable and intriguing characters who feel out of place in their societies while offering fresh perspectives within a sci-fi backdrop. Though I found the concept engrossing, I was quite disappointed with the execution of this book.

The novel recounts the journey of our protagonist, Amane through her teenage years into middle age, exploring themes of sexuality, parasocial relationships, and the impact of societal norms on her identity. These themes are thoughtfully divided into three parts, making the book relatively easy to read without feeling overwhelmed, despite its unusual premise. Moreover, in this 240-page novel, the story unfolds primarily through dialogue, with minimal plot development. Amane frequently engages in inner monologues or discussions with other characters. As a result, the book raises many intriguing questions, such as the nature of parasocial relationships and the emotional validity of falling in love with fictional characters.

Also, in a unique world where unions are strictly between men and women, and the primary purpose of these marriages is to raise children or to have a life partner based on practicality. On top of that, any sexual relationship between married couples is deemed incestuous. Our protagonist's friend, Juri questions these societal norms " To tell the truth, I wish I could have married you, Amane...Wouldn't it make far more sense to start a family with a friend you've known before? ". Lastly, in Eden, the experimental city where children (kodomo-chans) are conceived via artificial wombs and all the residents are called 'Mother,' the concept of family becomes even more complicated. This societal setup eliminates the traditional parent-child hierarchy and raises a profound question that challenges the foundations of motherhood and familial bonds. 

That said, what didn't work for me was that the analysis of these themes didn't go as deep as I had hoped. It often felt more like a summary than a thorough examination, leading to a sense of repetitiveness as the narrative progressed. I grew quite disengaged during the first two parts, as the lack of a cohesive plot was noticeable. Nonetheless, part 3 quickly escalates and delivers a shocking ending, which I had come to expect from Sayaka.

In conclusion, while the book may not offer a comprehensive examination of its themes, it did successfully capture the struggles of resisting societal norms. Amane stood out as a deeply intriguing protagonist who struggled with feelings of alienation. Her journey of self-discovery is incredily haunting, vividly showing the emotional toll of internal conflicts and societal pressures.

Fans of Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica may enjoy this.

I started 2024 with a Sayaka Murata read, so it was only fair I ended the year with one too. I was like a little schoolgirl waiting for her crush to walk by, refreshing to see if I was picked for this eARC. She’s my kind of weird, I’m here for it.

This book was absolutely everything I thought it was going to be & then some. The pressures of societal norms, and her wild take on them, which I’ve come to realize is her signature. Here for it. If felt like if society took one wrong turn, this book would be the future.

If you loved Earthlings, you’re gunna love this.

If Sayaka Murata is writing it, I’m reading. Point blank, period.

Sayaka, if you see this, pls be my friend. lol. 🖤

Thank you to my fav author ever, the publishers & Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I saw there was a new Sayaka Murata book coming in English I was super excited. Immediately wanted to read it as I love the way she writes (Earthlings and Life Ceremony are two of my favorite books). Though it is not my favorite from this author I still really enjoyed it. It was another interesting read this time all about sex and family, romantic love and relationships.

This author has a very unique style of writing and very different stories. Lots of talk of the status quo and how people might try and break from it In this one we have Amane who was conceived of naturally in a world where everyone is conceived via IVF. And the whole thoughts around sex and love and family were really interesting to read. People fall in love with characters from Anime and Manga, some with real people, but sex is still a bit taboo. Not something people do. And that sets up a really interesting story. People get married and have kids, but they don't have sex. They have relationships outside the marriage, but the marriage is not based on love. I loved it.

There is also this experimental village where people are inseminated en masse and everyone is a mother to all of the children. Men can conceive with a false womb and oh, I really enjoyed reading where this story went. How the society changes within Amane's lifetime and the thoughts on where it will go. This was a what if IVF was the default. What would happen to relationships and why do people get married? This, like all of this author's works, is one I will be thinking about for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Huge thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you've ever wondered what Aldous Huxley's Brave New World would look like had it been set in Japan, read this book. I think that's the best way to describe it.

I'm not sure where to start with this, to be honest. The novel is creepy, visceral, and uses language in such a clever way to make you want to gauge your eyes out. It goes deep into the topics of sex, romantic love, family, human nature, and how the effectiveness and cleanliness that capitalism demands of us simply can't mesh with any semblance of normalcy and humamity. It's a horrifying glimpse into a dystopian world that, unfortunately, isn't too impossible to imagine.

My favorite theme explored was how difficult it is to go against the grain and the established societal norms, no matter how unsettling and alien you find the world. In the end, more often than not, you'll cave and become a part of the problem—it's a terrifying throught. I also found the exploration of parasocialism and attachment to fictional characters as a replacement for romantic love fascinating and very fitting in today's world. And, of course, it's impossible not to mention sex and pleasure vs love and affection as the main themes of the book—the author did a hell of a job of deconstructing them and presenting all the ugly layers for us to examine.

The ending was the creepiest, most unhinged part and truly ensured the book concluded with a bang (literally). I need to go and cleanse my eyes with something else, otherwise I'll go insane.