i've been a fan of murata's work for years now, and vanishing world has only served to solidify her standing as one of the greats. her succint style serves the bleak, sterile narrative well. she paints a world where sex is no longer needed, where men and women alike give birth by means of artificial insemination. the family structure is shattered and disposed of—babies are born and treated as pets, an entire city is full of "mothers" who take care of the children as a community. the dystopian society is a perfect metaphor for the loneliness epidemic that accompanies the digital age, and murata discusses sex, masturbation, love, family and the human body in a way that enthralls and amazes. her work is original and intelligent, even if a bit heavy handed at times (especially in this novel), and i will anxiously wait for every new release

Sayaka Murata’s Vanishing World takes readers into a thought-provoking and eerie future where strict societal rules rewrite human relationships. In this unsettling vision, marriage, love, and intimacy are completely redefined. Physical closeness between spouses is forbidden and viewed as incest, while procreation is managed entirely through artificial insemination. Romantic love exists only outside the family, making traditional ideas of love and connection obsolete.

In this world, marriage is built on practical foundations—such as shared responsibilities, financial stability, and communication—rather than passion or emotional bonds. Murata’s story raises difficult questions: If intimacy is no longer tied to family life, does it become meaningless? If reproduction is controlled through technology, what happens to human desires that fall outside the system? The characters in this world navigate lives where personal freedom clashes with social expectations, a theme that Murata explores with stark clarity and sharp commentary.

Murata’s writing is simple but sharp, and her commentary on societal control over love and relationships is striking. Vanishing World felt both timely and timeless, asking profound questions about where humanity is headed. I finished it feeling unsettled, and thoughtful, despite the bleakness of the story. If you enjoy books that challenge you to think about the boundaries of freedom, intimacy, and progress, this one is definitely worth picking up!

i will read everything written by this author - spectacular and always so different than others - I'm curious to know the writing process

this story takes place in an alternative japan where people barely have sex anymore, where a marriage means a family means husband and wife would commit incest by being together. every child is born through artificial insemination and people take lovers openly outside their marriage.

as an asexual person, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much as murata’s other works, but the story and its questioning were fascinating.

the main character, amane, is one of the rare people to be sexual with her lovers — whether they’re real, or anime characters. she’s properly unhinged, and her evolution as a character is captivating (and horrifying).

the book explores the notion of family when it’s stripped of romantic love and sex — a very interesting dive into another type of love and what binds people together.

the narration got a bit messy sometimes, but I didn’t exactly mind since it still made sense. the ending is very murata-esque and I was not disappointed.

i think this is a book that you have to read to understand the essence of it. it’s an experience, both entertaining and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good compelling and stimulating scenario.

My first encounter with Sayaka Murata and I am utterly blown away. I loved both the writing style and originality of the story.

Sayaka Murata back again to make you thoroughly uncomfortable! Vanishing World details a post-war society that has redefined love, sex, and family by making artificial insemination the moral way to reproduce. Our main character, Amane, came to be through traditional copulation and her mother tried to brainwash her to pursue traditional marriage and reproduction. This makes Amane a bit of an outsider and from the viewpoint of the reader in our own world, kind of a predator.

This is thoroughly Murata, where ignorant innocence clashes with dystopian environments. I love the unique way she writes dialogue and the uncomfortable world building she brings to each story. Having read two others of hers though, this was the weakest. Even at 240 pages, it felt way too long with similar conversations happening back to back. Parts one and two could have been trimmed down substantially and either kept as a novella or let part three move the narrative even further.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the eARC. Sayaka’s weird lit will always be an auto-read for me, even if this one didn’t fully land.

Thanks to netgalley and grove atlantic for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sayaka Murata does it again, and once again proves why she's one of my favourite authors. This was delightfully strange, unsettling and thoughtprovoking. Vanishing world is both completely sterile and kinda gross. In short, this book is set in a society where sex is almost completely shunned. Instead, children are conceived through artificial insemination, and sex between husband and wife, who are family, is seen as incest. The main character Amane is a rare exception, having been born out of traditional sex. The story starts in a relatively normal society where people get married and fall in love outside of marriage, but at the end we find ourselves in Experiment City, where everyone is Mother and children are collectively conceived and raised as near identical 'Kodomo-chans'. Amane's slow slide from resistance to complete assimilation into the world around her is so well executed.

What i love about Murata is her way of looking at humans, humanity and social constructs as if they are a completely alien concept. I think this book does that even better than her previous works. Cannot wait for this to be published so i can buy it and proudly add it to the collection. Vanishing world is out on april 15, 2025!

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me access to an ARC in return for my honest opinions.

I feel line Sayaka Murata has a distinct and unique voice and the ideas for novels are so original.

This one is somehow extremely sterile and clinical whilst still being the incredibly visceral and animalistic. It’s Murata continuing to produce thought provoking, subversive work, which exists to warn as much as to entertain.

This book shows Murata going from strength to strength- presenting to us a world that is both very clinical and sterile whilst still conjuring up very visceral feelings. By the end, I felt ill and dirty and like I needed to take ten minutes before reading again, which is the biggest compliment I can give.

Sayaka Murata's writing style has always fascinated me beyond any that I have ever expected. She weaves in a unique plot that contains curious and peculiar aspects that undeniably draws you in. I went into the book without an inkling of what's inside as I read her Convenience Store Woman and I truly appreciated her work.

This book however took me some time to adjust but to be fairly honest it is absolutely unique and intriguing. Without further ado let's explore the plot and storyline.

So, the story is set in a different place in Japan where copulation between couples is not highly looked upon. In fact it is considered as incest. Only artificial insemination is allowed. We follow our protagonist, Amane Sakaguchi from her childhood to adulthood. In the experimental city children are brought up in a scientific manner. Amane in her early teen years begins to explore sexuality and later on she marries Saku. As husband and wife they gone on to multiple relationships after their marriage with both of their consents and happiness.

With intimacy vanished and men are now enable to carry babies, their definitions are polar opposites of what our current world adheres to.

Vanishing worlds has the most bizarre yet intriguing plot and redefining concepts of what should be and what ifs. This book cannot be compressed into the boundaries of just a few words because the more you read, the more you begin to become acquainted with the world building. It was definitely a book that focuses on a world your concepts of normalcy is questioned by the advancement of a new world.

An interesting and very smooth read. It creates a hesitation between disturbing material and societal critique. The ending sealed the deal; otherwise, I would have found it a bit light. At one point, it was repeating itself, but I never got bored because the book is rather short. I would say I wasn’t exactly the target audience but it didn’t stop me from liking it. Overall, it is very enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book 🫶🏼

such an interesting concept but unfortunately lacked so much in execution. page after page of the same conversations about family and sex and childbearing being had with the words slightly re-arranged each time. the premise is set up beautifully for meaningful conversations on societal norms but fails in every way to pack the punch. 1.5 stars rounded up 🙃

A very intriguing and interesting concept, however I could just not bond or connect to any of the characters. I felt the dialogue between the main character Amane and her husband and peers was very stilted and did not feel realistic or flow very well!

Again praise for such an interesting premise and for opening up dialogue on a number of issues but sadly this just wasn’t for me!

Sayaka Murata’s The Vanishing World is the third book I’ve read by her, and I loved it every bit as much as the others. Known for her quirky and unsettling narratives, Murata’s previous works often focus on singular characters who don’t fit into the norms of society. This book flips that concept, exploring a society where traditional romantic relationships no longer exist, and babies are born exclusively through artificial insemination.

The protagonist struggles with her place in this structured, dystopian world. The story is delightfully weird which I absolutely love in a book. If you’re a fan of Murata’s unique storytelling or enjoy thought experiments about society’s future, this is a must-read.

This book follows a similar style of writing that Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings followed: with a main character who questions the nature of society.

In a Black Mirror style not too different to our world, and a world that resembles a possible future for the current Japan, babies are produced only by IVF. Sex is considered a relic of the old world.

I think the plot of this book was very clever, it covered ideas I have often found myself thinking of. "What if everyone was prevented from having babies as soon as they went through puberty, choosing to turn on their ability to have children when they were ready", "what if there was a society where there was no real gender"

Enjoyable if you enjoyed other works by Sayaka Murata

Sayaka Murata’s Vanishing World is a chilling exploration of an alternate reality where the regulation of love and sexuality has been radically transformed. In this world, the notion of romantic love is relegated to relationships outside the nuclear family, and artificial insemination has replaced traditional conception, with “copulation” considered both outdated and impure. Through this societal shift, Murata invites readers to critically examine the ways in which social norms and expectations shape individual desires, and the conflict that arises when those desires do not align with prescribed structures.

Set in a future where familial bonds are devoid of romantic love, characters are instead programmed to view their partners as mere family members. Love, in this world, is reserved for external, often parasocial connections—desires that are no longer grounded in the physical or emotional intimacy associated with traditional romance. This world is further complicated by the outlawing of same-sex marriage, despite the vocal longings of characters for such relationships, highlighting the tension between personal agency and societal regulation.

Through its sharp commentary, Vanishing World delves into the complex ways in which culture and societal control dictate the emotional and sexual lives of individuals. Murata examines the paradox of characters who long for connections that are not allowed, and the feeling of being trapped in a world that regulates even the most intimate aspects of existence. The book also explores how parasocial relationships with fictional characters can offer a semblance of emotional fulfillment in a world that has stripped away personal choice in matters of the heart.

The novel’s thought-provoking narrative forces readers to confront the implications of a society that enforces norms at the expense of personal freedom and genuine emotional expression. Murata’s writing is stark and captivating, shedding light on the potential dangers of imposing rigid frameworks for love and identity.

Vanishing World is an unsettling and profound reflection on how far societal control can go, and how individuals continue to yearn for connections that go beyond the confines of imposed structure. It is an important and timely commentary on the regulation of sexuality and the struggle for autonomy in a world that increasingly seeks to define who we can love and how.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing the ARC of this thought-provoking novel.

Vanishing World (2015) by Sayaka Murata is finally getting an English release, and it’s just as bizarrely brilliant as you’d hope. Imagine a dystopia where kids are conceived via insemination, raised like pets in an experimental city, and romantic relationships are completely redefined. Amane, likely the last child born out of love, grows up in a world where marrying is normal, but sleeping with your spouse? Total taboo—it’s basically incest. Instead, people are crushing on anime characters or obsessing over idols.

Murata masterfully tackles Japan’s declining birth rates, shifting family structures, same-sex marriage, and cultural quirks like cat cafés and anime crushes. It’s weird, thought-provoking, and oddly relatable—she makes you think, "You know, I kinda get it." It’s less creepy than her Life Ceremony stories but still packs a shocker of an ending. I devoured this book and can’t wait for her next translated gem—just don’t make us wait another decade!

sayaka murata delivered AGAIN !!
so interesting, themes I haven't read anywhere else

It questions gender roles when it comes to raising a child, nuclear family and what it means. A dystopia where sex progressively vanish from the world.
However the very last pages was so disappointing that instead of a 5 stars it's a 4.

TW : sexual child abuse, and for the context of this book it can be qualified as a rape.

Really interesting story from one of my favorite Japanese authors. After earthlings, was excited to read something new from her. Veers off into new territory and definitely going to reread when it comes out.

"I sometimes think that the seeds for sexual desire and romantic love are planted in us by TV and manga, and only then do they grow within our body, without us realizing."
She did it again. You would think that at one point Murata would write a book that I wouldn't engage with as much as I always end up doing. Vanishing World got published in 2015 in Japan will soon finally be available for english readers. From the start this alternate dystopian vision had me hooked. What if we changed our family structures, what if children were produced per insemination, and held like pets in an experimental city? We follow Amane, probably the last child of love, and her upcoming in a world where you do marry, but having sex with your husband is considered Incest. Instead everyone is pining after anime figures or crushing on other people.
Murata manages to bring ideas to the page that are alienating but at the same time knows how to convey them so that you think "Hmm yeah... I can see that ". Topic such as slowing birth rates, family constructs, same sex marriage, and japanese culture phenomenes such as cat cafés and Idols/ anime crushes sound like a lot, but it is well balanced. Less creepy than her short stories from life ceremonies but the ending still was as shocking. Couldn't stop reading this and I am hoping the next translation from her is not taking too long.

This was the Sayaka Murata level of weird I have come to love and expect, but unfortunately without the heart.
However, it was still compelling, thought provoking, gross and funny so for that u get 3/5.