This was different than form hwr other books.
But I like it.
It reminded me of Earrhlings and I would definitely read more of her.

Wow I'm totally grossed out, this is definitely a book for those who enjoy weirder fiction, I thought it was great as a strange and unusual story but it also hit on some heavy topics and was a poignant read, thought provoking and stomach churning, I always enjoy books by this author I didn't know what to expect going in but I was I want to say pleasantly? Surprised but this isn't a pleasant reading experience (which I assume was the authors intention)

“we humans were always changing. whichever world we were brainwashed by, we didnt have the rught to judge others based on the ideas we had been inculcated with.”

well congratulations sayaka, you’ve successfully written something that made me physically recoil inside of myself—i mean genuinely fold inside out :D in a nutshell, *vanishing world* is set in an alternate japan where sex between married couples is seen as a form of incest, and women—and men—become pregnant and give birth artificially. there’s even an experiment city: paradise-eden, where children are being raised in a new systemic fashion. true to sayaka’s style, she explores social taboos & ever changing societal norms in a horrifying but also riveting way? i mean she really cuts straight to the point in this novel i couldn’t put it down—i already know i’m going to have a hard time recommending this one though because it is NOT for everyone, and i already know it’s one you either hate or love. but for my girlies who are always down for some really weird dystopian fiction, this is one you’ll definitely want to pick up!

thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think the concept and the premise is completely fascinating, so while I personally did not enjoy this, I believe the idea is good enough to add two additional stars.

This feels like a book that I was not the right audience for, which hurts my heart because I'm such a fan of Sayaka Murata, Queen of Weird Girl Lit. I wish I had something more positive to say other than I liked the idea but I found the dialogue very repetitive and grating and the ending didn't make the experience worth it to me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a new age where artificial insemination is the only form of pregnancy that’s normalized. This world was weird and strange. It was an interesting, very quick read. I was expecting more though. The ending felt abrupt, like that’s it? I felt unsatisfied and also grossed out, which was probably the author’s goal.

Thank you netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Errr... I am deeply unsure of how to rate this. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I'll be thinking about it for quite a bit, and it triggered some very strong, visceral reactions as I read it.

First of all, the cons: The book's pacing is very off. It drags quite a bit in the first 60% or so, while Amane just kinda flops around talking about her attitudes on sex, and then everything rushes to a crazy conclusion at the end. In addition to feeling a little disconcerting to the reader, this also means some major plot points aren't really properly explored. The last chapter of the book would have you believe the protagonist's relationship to her mother is an essential part of the story, yet it's hard for that to be a satisfying conclusion when her mother has been barely mentioned for most of the book. I also wish the last few pages of the book either had not happened or had been explored much more fully. For an author who has written so poignantly about sexual violence in the past, I felt like it was a letdown for her to just casually throw in some really disturbing molestation without acknowledging what that meant for the characters.

Nonetheless, this book had a lot of great things too: Murata really explores the idea of social isolation very well and writes in a very moving manner that I can't help but empathize with. She created a very offputting world and used it to do a great job of analyzing cultural attitudes towards things like hikikomori and LGBTQ acceptance. I particularly liked how she explored the concept of what a family is and what motherhood means, even if it did include some passages that were very uncomfortable to read while pregnant. Finally, as a fan of Murata's previous works, this did not disappoint at all. Just like her other books, Vanishing World left me sitting in my room staring at a blank wall with a look of confusion on my face while my brain tried to grapple with several things, and it inspired multiple in-person and online rants about the book. Even if I have some complaints about the story, I have to be impressed by a book that can inspire so many emotions.

Overall, I guess I'd say it should be a 3 star rating, but it was so unusual and fulfilled my expectations so well that I guess it deserves a slightly higher rating?

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for a weird book and this was definitely weird. This book is set in a world where sexual intercourse is no longer necessary for procreation. It has eliminated the need for sex and it is unusual to perform the act.

This book showed what it could be like to develop sexuality in a sterile environment. It made the reader wonder how much of sexuality is learned behavior or instinct—Nature vs. Nurture.

While this book was thought-provoking and well-paced, it did become kind of monotonous. It was repetitive and I’m not sure if I like the writing style. This is the first book I’ve read by Sayakk Murata so maybe it’s because I’m unfamiliar with the writing style and translation. I am curious about their other works.

I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter. It was a book that made you think about sexuality in a new way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Unfortunately, this didn't do it for me. I was really interested in the plot and this author's work but it was so repetitive and boring. Yeah it was short but kinda hard to get through. The plot and the story were there but the execution wasn't. So many pages of describing the same thing over and over again, and honestly i don't know how to feel about that ending

A conflicted "thank you?" to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me access to this absolute experience of an ARC.

If I am a fan of anyone it is Sayaka Murata, so I had some idea of what I was getting into with this one but oh boy-

A bizarre and terrifying novel about a world where sex is becoming extinct in favour of artificial insemination that features Murata's signature theme of society and how her characters fit into it.

I will admit the first two parts of this book were painfully dull and slow to get through but it made the ending feel just that much more insane when I eventually got there.

This was an easy five stars from me, Sayaka Murata you've done it again.

"Normality is the creepiest madness there is."

Vanishing World is Murata at her best - interrogating social norms and institutions the way only an alien ought to be able to.

In this society, people have opted for artificial insemination since WWII, eliminating the need for sexual reproduction which then creates a social taboo against intercourse. This taboo is intensified for married couples, for whom sex would be considered incest because there is now a stark distinction between family (which includes one's spouse) and romantic or lustful desires, which are for non-family.

The book almost reads like Amane is experiencing the five stages of grief as she observes the social change around her - there are moments of denial, bargaining, anger, etc. I loved following our protagonist from childhood into adulthood and watching her battle with her own responses to concepts like desire, love, family, and children differently over time.

This is a 4/5 but really a 4(?)/5.

I finished this an entire day ago and still don't know what to make of it. I think it's my least favorite of her books so far (not counting the short stories, I haven't read that) and while one review said she saw other people saying it was more tame than her other work, I would say it's almost close to Earthlings (which I loved) but in a different way? If you want a weird book, this is a weird book.

I am so glad that I got this book.
Sayaka Writing is such a breathe of fresh air.
Interesting take on future.

🎁 Thank you to @netgalley and @groveatlantic for providing me with an Advance Reader Copy. It was an absolute pleasure to read this book.

Vanishing World and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata both explore the clash between individuality and societal norms, but I think it's done in strikingly different contexts. In Vanishing World, Murata paints a chilling dystopia where natural reproduction is taboo, and Amane struggles with her identity as someone conceived naturally. I'd say her journey highlights the tension between personal values and societal expectations, with much of the novel emphasizing the oppressive world-building over deep character development (which I think some people wouldn't like as much). Amane’s growth feels more survival-driven, as she navigates an extreme society that criminalizes her very existence.

Compared to Convenience Store Woman, this book - in my opinion - is way darker and a lot more surreal. Both stories dig into what it means to not “fit in,” yes, but Vanishing World takes things up a notch with its dystopian vibes and existential themes. Amane's struggle feels more desperate and chaotic than Keiko’s quiet rebellion in CSW. Murata’s style is still there—making the weird seem normal and the normal seem weird—but this one hits harder and makes you really question how much of yourself gets sacrificed to fit societal norms and expectations.

I already know I love Sayaka Murata, so I did not need to know anything about this book before requesting it. And not knowing anything about it had me saying "hahahahahahahaha, what the fuuuuuuuuck" under my breath repeatedly. Delightfully weird and horrifying, idk how else to describe it.

“Normality is the creepiest madness there is. This was all insane, yet it was so right.”
Vanishing World was strange and discomforting to read – it’s short but it packs a punch, and I don’t think I will ever forget reading this book. I would highly recommend this one to fans of Sayaka’s previous works, and to people who are interested in exploring themes of the oversexualization of anime characters, declining birth rates and motherhood, community, and family.

My biggest problem with this book was how repetitive it felt. The main characters were constantly asking the same questions and discussing the same topics over and over again. If it had been edited down to about 150 pages, I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more. With that said, this is a book I would still recommend if you want a reading experience that will sear itself into your memory forever.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 1/29/25.

Brief review will be posted to Instagram at the end of January in my monthly reading wrap up. Full review to be posted closer to the release date.

It’s only January 29th, and I’m calling it—nothing I read this year will be weirder than this.

If you liked Convenience Store Woman, proceed with caution when picking up Sayaka Murata’s newest English language release. Vanishing World is far closer to Earthlings, examining taboos, intimacy, and what happens when we completely dismantle our understanding of love.

The plot is a thinly disguised thought experiment, asking: What defines “normal”? How do societal practices become ingrained? Murata pushes these questions to extremes, crafting a world where love and sex have been completely restructured. One of the most striking ideas to me was the growth in relationships with fictional characters. In the novel, these relationships are normalized (and monetized) turning intimacy into something personal and transactional. With the recent rise of AI chatbots and how we’re beginning to see their psychological impact on people, this felt relevant.

Murata’s writing is uncomfortable. The physical descriptions are so visceral that I found myself feeling ill at times—which, I suppose, is exactly the point and a testament to her skill. (Also, I have now read the word copulation more times than I ever thought possible.) While I enjoyed the concepts explored, I found the 240 page length too long for the actual story. The middle section dragged and became repetitive, but the ending… I read the final pages with my hand over my mouth and then had to stare at the wall for a while to recover.


If you enjoy speculative fiction or Murata’s more provocative works like Earthlings, I’d recommend picking this up when it comes out on April 15th!

Thank you to @groveatlantic and @netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for this ARC!

Vanishing World is set in an alternate World in which sex for procreation was replaced by artificial insemination during WWII, eventually developing to the point where sex has become completely obsolete, and a married couple having sex with each other is considered incest. We follow our protagonist Amane as she grows up and moves through this world. Amane is a little different than most of the people she is surrounded by, both because of the circumstances of her birth and because of her personal relationship with sex.

This book was a wild ride, exactly as I expected it to be. It was made all the better by the fact that I had added the book to my tbr just because of its author, as I have adored all of Murata's work which has been translated so far, and I therefore started reading this completely blind, which was a really fun experience.

As with all of Murata's other works I have gotten to read so far, this book features a main character who struggles with the norms of the world she lives in, and although in this case the norms of the world she lives in are foreign to all of us as well, I still really related to her feelings of otherness and alienation, something I think Murata does a fantastic job of putting into words.

Obviously I don't know what the intended message of this book is, but to me it read like a commentary on the modern loneliness epidemic and how in the last few decades we have lost many important social connections which used to be the norm (e.g. the extended family being replaced by the nuclear family unit and government institutions). In the world Murata creates many people choose fictional lovers over real-life lovers, and marriages are often formed through a sort of speed-dating function with no goal other than creating a "good baby" through artificial insemination later.

Another aspect of this I enjoyed was the representation of alternative forms of family. As someone with no interest in the heterosexual construct of marriage and children it was actually rather refreshing to read about people choosing to live with their close friends (including women choosing to spend their lives with other women). In general, while it wasn't a significant plot point, I enjoyed how casually queer love was treated in this book. Also, there is discussion of male pregnancy in this book, which is really funny to read about if you are a fandom-veteran.

All in all I would say that if you have read and enjoyed Murata's other books you will certainly enjoy this one too, and if this is the first of her books you read sit down, buckle up and get ready for a wild, fun ride.

Such an intriguing premise and it had the potential to be absolutely incredible but sadly, this rather missed the mark for me.

Parts of it were fantastically creepy and unsettling but there’s a lot that feels like it’s there for shock value. It’s also incredibly repetitive in parts while some plot lines are left sparse and incomplete.

I loved the exploration of sex, relationships and the family dynamic but wasn’t so much onboard with the paedophilia.

The upcoming release of Sayaka Murata, the author of Earthlings, Life Ceremony, and Convenience Store Woman. The cover is what intrigued me the most, because her books always have this beautiful unique cover. But really. One always interests in Sayaka Murata's world because her "weird" world-building and misfit yet relatable main character.

Vanishing World set in a world where children were conceived through artificial insemination instead of the "traditional natural" way we all knew. In this world, even men can get pregnant and all women were called mothers, as well as every children were called kodomo-chan. Husband and wife are considered family, sex were seen as a relic of love.

Amane, probably the only and the last human on earth who were born not through a scientific way, found herself unable to fit in the world. With her husband, they moved to a place called Eden in Experiment City where science advanced rapidly. In there she found the world she knew and the world imprinted on her by her mother started to vanish, evolving into more advanced yet lack of emotion.

I enjoyed reading this book as much as feel dizzy going through it that I have to take a break. Sayaka Murata's world has always been weird, but I think this is the most weird one. The critics toward society on how they see women, marriage relationship, and children, written in the most weird way possible but could easily be associated with current situation.

This book could make one wonder. What would happen if Adam and Eve never eat the forbidden fruit? They will never be banished from Eden, of course. But is there more to it?

⭐4.5

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for the DRC.

The book opens with a very interesting premise where sex is taboo and all pregnancy is done through artificial insemination. We follow Amane, the main character, who was conceived through “traditional” sex, and she spends the entire book questioning whether it is wrong to engage with such a backward tradition and her development in new familial system.

Anyway what is a Sayaka Murata novel without some weird and outrageous things, right?

Aside from the quirks, I think this book has great and interesting concepts! I love the idea of getting married without romantically entangled, or girlfriends/boyfriends even when they’re married, and especially the idea of male pregnancy is so funny, the visual image is so hilarious I think Sayaka Murata did a wonderful worldbuilding.

In this fascinating world, Chiba is turned into experimental city. Everyone would be invited to get artificially inseminated and the family system is replaced, all the kids are called kodomo-chan and all the residents are Mothers (slay, honestly?) The way the story is being told is simple and engaging. Love this so much, can’t wait to read other Sayaka Murata!