A very curious story. This is the first book by Murata that I’ve read and I absolutely get the hype. Her mind goes places that others just don’t. This is a very fascinating concept that really crawls under your skin and makes you feel uncomfortable in the most intended way. That is what I really liked about this book because only few would and could do that. At the same time, that is why I can’t rate it higher than an okay read because it felt almost too strange and uncomfortable at times, especially the ending. Which is brilliant and unfortunate at the same time. I enjoyed it by not really enjoying it. It’s a difficult relationship like everyone in this story is having. I look back on it in a fond way but will probably never pick it up again.

If you've read Sayaka Murata, you might have an idea what you're getting yourself in for. However, even having read Sayaka Murata before, it's hard to prepare yourself! Murata is the queen of weird fiction and even weirder characters, and this did not disappoint. It's a wild, unusual ride, and you just have to be willing to go along with it. I was definitely hooked and couldn't put it down.

I don't know how to rate this. A disturbed 3.5? Once again, Murata explores the strangeness of sexuality and motherhood in an evolving society through the viewpoint of one who doesn't fit easily into its norms. The reader uneasily watches a dystopia forming: people no longer form romantic marriage or have sex with their spouses (or generally at all), but instead use their fixations with fictional anime characters as a substitute. It's horribly somewhat plausible, for a while, and then, being a Murata novel, it gets Weird. Tamer than Earthlings, but not by a lot. I guess it makes you think, but I'm glad to be done with it.

3.5 stars rounded up. Super unsettling scifi about a world where IVF becomes the standard means of procreation, rendering sex for enjoyment moot / taboo, with sex between married couples being considered incest. Details the rise of unhealthy parasocial relationships (primarily anime characters) exclusively for sexual needs.

Finished this in under 24 hours and couldn't put it down. I feel like the core points were bashed over my head beyond what was necessary, but enjoyed the novel nonetheless.

Thank you to Grove and NetGalley for the eARC!

This story was a weird, wild ride from start to finish!
Sayaka Murata is (in my opinion, officially) certifiably off-their-rocker, and is a master of weird story-telling.

This story follows the life of a woman who lives in a country where sex has become almost obsolete, and entirely taboo. Couples still get married, but view the marriage as more "family" and not a romantic partner. Babies are born exclusively from artificial insemination - and men also have the option of gestating babies.

That's all I'll say about the plot - because this is one you've gotta experience for yourself.

Would have been higher stars, except the COMPLETELY out of left field ending that was just downright disgusting - left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.