Natsuki Sasamoto and her beloved cousin Yuu create an alien creation myth for themselves based on planet Popinpobopia; this coping mechanism helps them survive their respective dysfunctional and isolated childhoods. Both children idealize their grandparents' distant home in Akishina, but the summer of her 9th year when Natsuki urges Yuu to marry her, they are discovered in flagrante, and brutally separated. I loved every sweet detail of the child's perspective of the summer Obon festival of the dead. Author Sayaka Murata is masterful in her taking on taboo topics in her writing, the main one here is incest, but I didn't feel she had as complete command of the subject in Earthlings as she did over autism in Convenience Store Woman. Her deadpan outsider humor is evident, and any levity is appreciated given the abject cruelty her characters face. I had not known that eating bugs was a thing in Japan. I also didn't know that people were buried there (I thought only cremated).

*This book is phenomenal! I highly recommend reading this with as little information about it as possible.*

Sayaka Murata's second novel to be translated into English, "Earthlings" shares similar ideas to the ones in her previous hit novel "Convenience Store Woman" ~ What is it that motivates people to want to neatly fit into the roles society has predestined for them? And what happens to those people that simply lack that motivation?

Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, "Earthlings" follows Natsuki from her childhood up to her mid thirties. Since she was a child Natuski doesn't quite fit into society's premade mold, and because of that feels alienated from her family and the rest of the world. The only solace she has is the summer time she spends with her cousin Yuu, who shares her feelings of alienation from the rest of the world. This alienation she feels mixed with the abuse she experiences at the hands of the adults supposed to protect her drive Natsuki to strongly believe she and her cousin Yuu are from a different planet and are not actually human.

"Earthlings" is a sharp critique of society, its values and unwritten rules, and its treatment of people who chose not to adhere to those values and rules. There is nothing taboo in this book, and, while it may not be for everyone, I fell in love with it. It doesn't shy from anything, it makes the reader uncomfortable, but it definitely has something worth saying. I cannot wait to read whatever else is translated into English written by Sayaka Murata, but in the meanwhile I will still think about "Earthlings" for a while and then do myself a favor and read it again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Press for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored Murata’s quirky, philosophical Convenience Store Woman and as soon as I’d got wind that her latest release was on NetGalley, I requested it and was came face-to-face with this delightful cover.

Natsuki is different from the other kids. You see, she isn’t actually from Earth. She has magical powers and comes from a distant planet called Popinpobopia. Her favourite person in the world is her cousin Yuu, who also happens to be a Popinpobopian but she only sees him once a year every summer in the mountains of Nagano. However, a series of unsettling events threatens to part them forever. Decades later, Natsuki is married to an asexual man and battling the relentless questions about pregnancy from everyone she knows. Then she finds herself returning to the house of her fondest childhood memories and reuniting with Yuu.

Piyyut is the book’s cover star -Natsuki’s toy hedgehog who entrusted her with magic. The first couple of chapters are from young Natsuki’s point of view, so of course, I assumed that her talk about her powers was simply a case of a bored, imaginative child having vivid daydreams. This was something that I became much less certain of, as the narrative continued.

She feels like a spare part within her own family and it’s not difficult to see why. Her family are mentally abusive and dangerously dismissive of Natsuki. My blood boiled so many times during these chapters and I was desperate for her to grow up and move far far away -which is naturally exactly what she wants too.

I have to warn you that it is full of highly disturbing scenes of child abuse, sex and incest. My blood boiled several times in the first few chapters and I came very close to throwing the book at the wall. However, Natsuki’s reaction to the appalling ordeals that she goes through are horrendously realistic for an innocent child. Although she doesn’t seem to be able to call it out as abuse specifically, she clearly knows that it’s very wrong because not only does she heartbreakingly feel that parts of her are ‘broken’ but she sets about seeking revenge.

There is a lot of very clever, accurate commentary on society and Natsuki’s ‘alien’ perspective on it enhances the bizarreness of certain values and attitudes that humans have always held. We must all be either reproducing or working extremely hard to contribute to society or actually if you’re a woman preferably doing both of these things somehow. It made me reflect on the limited options that we actually have in life to become what is typically ‘acceptable’.

As Natsuki’s life progresses, she realises that she is unlikely to ever fit in to either life path that Earth has laid out as acceptable for her as a woman. Her marriage is a ploy to appear as if she is fitting in but of course, when she and her husband Tomoya fail to have children, the cover starts to slip and the questions start pouring in. It is incredibly strange to me how society still gets so obsessed with the lives of women of a certain age who aren’t become mothers. Even in the 21st century, where we can do almost anything that we want to do with our lives, women are still expected to have children at some point and it’s seen as a crying shame and something to be pitied, if they don’t.

The ending takes a very dark, surreal turn and I got completely lost in the haze that was slowly descending over the final pages. I felt that I was being taken somewhere which is incredibly fitting with the events of the very last page. Natsuki finally found her own unique way of dealing with and somewhat accepting what happened to her all those years ago and although, I was horrified by what was actually happening, I was able to see the transcendental subtext behind the actions. I’ll warn you that murder and cannibalism is involved, so you have some idea of the level of horror to expect!

Earthlings is a ludicrously strange, visceral, heady read with plenty of truth, social commentary and sparks of dark humour. I think I’ve flagged every trigger warning I can in this review (and believe me, there are plenty of them!) so hopefully you have some idea of the level of horror to expect. It’s one of the strangest, most thought-provoking books I’ve read in a very long time but it was incredibly readable. Pick it up for a harrowing, unique read this spooky season!

What starts off as a coming of age tale of a socially awkward girl - Natsuki - whose constantly overbearing mother even dismisses Natsuki's pleas of her teacher sexually abusing her, Earthlings meanders into deeper and darker territories as the book progresses. One quickly realises Sayaka Murata's Earthlings is more than just growing up pangs of a little girl or her escapism in the form of her magical thinking (that she's an alien from another planet). It's a commentary on societal conformism, tortured adolescence and yet another least explored Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori - individuals who desire to live in extreme isolation (off the grid). Natsuki calls the society 'Factory' that trains people to produce babies and live according to a set of norms. She firmly believes her cousin Yuu is an alien like her - who eventually ends up joining hands with Natsuki and her husband, living in isolation without ties in the society. The book is filled with uncomfortable themes - murder, cannibalism, sibling rivalry politics etc - and told through Natsuki's eyes, it's bound to shock readers. One thinks one has read enough of bizarre Japanese phenomenon in the telling of English language pop culture (articles, books etc) but writers like Sayaka trump that notion again and again. Brilliant and unsettling piece of fiction.

I must confess I was hesitant and wasn't very impressed for the first thirty pages of this book. Having read the author's earlier work I was bracing myself for the style that I wasn't a fan of but the content that would be most definitely fascinating. In <b>Earthling</b>, Murata delivers on both accounts. What starts out as a story about a little girl sexually abused by her school teacher and verbally, physically abused by her parents, becomes something more, grander and greater in span of fifty or so pages.
Providing an unflattering commentary on societal expectations from both men and women, the ideals of persistence in regards to happiness has the main character depersonalize. Psychologically splintered and physically alienated, she finds comfort in a man who is equally concerned with constant badgering of normalcy from his family while unable to explain his asexuality to others. This couple is then joined by her cousin who is equally lost in this "factory" that is the world.
Murata continuously refers to the society as "factory", the way once "rat race" was colloquially used. However the characters in <b>Earthlings</b> take it literally and go as far as to remove themselves from being "brainwashed" by the factory and live outside of its influence. What follows once this realization comes to pass is where Murata's writing shine. Its brilliant, its heart breaking and weirdly funny. There are many oddities in main character's behaviour that is of a troubled mind but with the history she has had with abuse and the reactions she has received when she has talked about it in open, its hardly surprising when she willingly withdraws from the society and considers herself as an "alien", unable to understand, adjust or even communicate with Earthlings. Its somewhere at the midpoint in the book where it becomes evident how the ending is going to be.
Yet, one won't see it coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read?

I was interested in this one because I'd enjoyed Convenience Store Woman, and the beginning of Earthlings has the same feelings of alienation. But this story quickly gets darker, as the protagonist's alienation comes from childhood abuse and neglect, and she turns away from normal earthling roles. The "alien" view of society as a baby factory was darkly accurate and relatable, but the sexual and violent actions... not so much.

I found the end of Convenience Store Woman ultimately hopeful and uplifting. I was so happy when she recognized her joy in being the convenience store woman, and pursued that. But Earthlings goes to much darker places, as the Popinbopians try to break pretty much every possible taboo, and it felt more like when an HBO show just goes to porn to be shocking,

Final summaryt: What did I just read?

First of all, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to this title!

I am struggling to put to words how I feel about this book. It took such crazy and fucked up turns that I completely didn’t see coming, especially at the end. I’m typically all for weird and messed up but I just wasn’t expecting it.

I liked the story itself and I felt completely protective of Natsuki. I hate how she was treated by her mother and I hate the horrible abuse she suffered. Also as much as the end weirded me out I like that she “took control” of her life in her own way.

I get the message the author was trying to convey about the patriarchal society and not wanting to be a cog in that never ending wheel.

This is a book I know I will have to read again now that I know what to expect, perhaps I would come away feeling differently.

This is a very polarizing book, and I'm afraid it just wasn't for me. I can handle strange, shocking and uncomfortable, but this went way beyond that, and I found it highly unpleasant. However, I have colleagues who have read this and loved it, so there you go. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for review.

What did I just read? The adorable plush hedgehog is a lie!
This book should come equipped with a big trigger warning because every possible thing that could be triggering is in there, including a couple of things that I never even considered would bother me as much as they did. Some sort of justification could be said about how it helps push the societal pressure to conform message of the book further, but I feel like it went too far.
It starts out interesting, with lots of things to make one think and hitting deep societal points that actually had me interested in seeing how they would be developed. Even the triggering elements were handled in such a way that I could see how including them made sense in the way the plot was developing.
However, it suddenly veered into territory that I was not expecting and, quite honestly, I was not comfortable with. It took a turn into truly bizarre territory that I was not prepared for.
I'm all for literature forcing readers to face uncomfortable truths and whatnot, but this hit too hard.

Thanks, I guess, to NetGalley and Grove Press for the early read.

In Earthlings, we read about Natsuki, a girl that isn’t like anyone else… She has a secret talking stuffed animal friend who is an envoy from somewhere else (maybe another planet?) who has gifted her with a magic wand and mirror. And during the summers, she spends time at a family home in the mountains with the only other person she knows that isn’t like anyone else, her cousin Yuu, who claims he is an alien. Together, they make secret pacts and promises to survive, not matter what. But when Natsuki experiences a trauma and the pact with Yuu goes a bit too far, her life changes forever. Now, she’s an adult, and she and her husband are planning to visit Yuu in the mountains for a small getaway. But seeing him again re-sparks her own (and her husband’s) feelings of not fitting in to the “Factory” of human life/existence, and this time all three of them take things to an extreme.

Well, Convenience Store Woman was an odd book, exploring themes of societal norms and expectations and how people who don’t follow those are criticized, seen as “wrong,” and encouraged to conform, so I wasn’t surprised to find similar themes here. But this entire novel takes things to a level that seemed more than just critical or exploratory and jumped right into over the top satirical and downright outrageous. And, overall, this is a much darker story. In fact, before moving any further, I want to explicitly point out some (kind of a lot of) CWs/TWs, in case it applies to you: [child] sexual assault and manipulation, incest, murder, cannibalism. That list alone gives some pretty good insight into the wild ride that is this story. But let me give you a little more about my thoughts/reactions…

First, the “good.” I truly haven’t read any other works/authors who can expose the ridiculous in the expectations and norms of “everyday” life like Murata can. It is incredibly impressive to read her satirical commentary on these standards, in this case, with language related to factories and machinery imagery with, a bit, of metaphorical talk of a medicinal variety (i.e. infections). She is able to write a very unique “outsider” view of patterns that for most of us are so ingrained as to not be questioned, like working, creating families and having babies, and repeating that cycle over generations. And even when the way she interrogates these normalities reaches a level that becomes difficult to believe, the critiques at base are still incredibly valid. Specifically, to this point, the way Murata portrays the psychosomatic responses and mental/emotional coping mechanisms of a child who has been sexually and emotionally abused is spectacular. It is authentic to Natsuki’s developmental stage, heartbreakingly so, and the judgmental commentary on how society “reacts” to those who have been abused when they come forward (even and in particular as adults), with excuses and victim-blaming and looking the other way, is scathing, as it should be. There is quite a bit of repetition of these concepts though, so do not expect any subtlety in their communication to the reader. However, that is a stylistic device that carries over from Convenience Store Woman, so if you enjoyed that one, it should also be ok here. In relation to this theme of the novel, I want to say that this is one that I would recommend to anyone who has ever felt socially isolated, that has felt odd or left out of the “natural” cycle of life, made to feel “other.” While reading these thematic points, this novel really acted as a sort of homing beacon to those who have ever felt like an alien among earthlings (if you will).

And now…I hesitate to say “bad,” but perhaps the…unexpected, unbelievable? I was on board with (and supportive of, if that’s the right way to describe it) Natsuki’s imagination as a child, her actions with Yuu (they were children and she’d had traumatic experiences, so it makes sense), the radical/extreme (though not undeserved) way she handled the “witch inhabiting her abuser’s body,” as well as her non-traditional union and agreement with her husband as an adult (in an attempt to subvert the expectations of compliance on women’s bodies). But once Natsuki and her husband run away to the mountains with Yuu at the end, things take a turn for the incredible, using the “not-credible” definition of the word. I mean, within the context of each of their own life experiences, especially as children, and considering (and I am not an expert on Japanese tradition by any means, but from what I’ve read) the fairly strict societal expectations and regulations of their culture, it’s not completely out of reality that they would react in such an extreme way when they finally decide to “escape” from it all. And satire does call for and make its point through extremes. But this was the point where I, as a reader, definitely became unsure as to whether this was a contemporary literature piece of fiction or a “magical realism” type work. In the end, it doesn’t necessarily matter, as the messages are clear regardless. But I do want to make it known that the book takes a turn for the legitimately preposterous, the very taboo, and the “my stomach is churning uncomfortably,” by the end. And I don’t know exactly what that “teaches” us, but I see how the three characters do find their own salvation/escape from having to act as if they want the same things out of life as everyone else, so I suppose that means they achieved their goals? If you have read and enjoyed novels like The Vegetarian by Han Kang, this aspect of the novel will likely appeal to you.

This novel was, in a word, surreal. It was a surreal reading experience. From start to finish. It was disturbing at times, but also carried great weight in its messages about the need to accept that there is not just one way to be, to love, to find fulfillment in life. Murata showcases with explicit detail the way the pressures of family and society to perform in a certain and “right” way, are unrealistic and should absolutely be questioned, because the alternative is permanently detrimental to those who don’t conform. And the more I sit with this story after finishing it, the more I think about it, the more powerful and important a statement this wildly unconventional story makes.

And the award for 'Most Bonkers, Bizarre Book of 2020' goes to.....*drum roll*..... Yeah, it's this one. Don't let the cute, cuddly toy on the cover fool you. This book s DARK, and more than a little disturbing. It is also quite brilliant and original and, did I mention. bonkers? Fantastic!

Natsuki, Natsuki, what did you do to me?

This book is awesome. Weird, but awesome.
Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlanta for this ARC. And thanks to Sayaka Murata for writing this.

Umm.

This book was weird.

Then it got really weird.

And then it got uncomfortable.

Then it got weirder.

The ending confused me.

But I liked it.

Actually I loved it.

The end.

This novel examines the pressures of society to conform and goes to a uncomfortable length to make its point. It is thought-provoking and subversive. But it's also hard to follow and unclear what is real and what is imagined when told by this unreliable narrator. There are trigger warnings all over the place for emotional and sexual abuse, as well as violence and more. What I loved about Convenience Store Woman is missing from this story.

My thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for granting me early access to this book in exchange for a honest review.



A modern, dark parable playing out across two timelines dealing with the difficulties of not comforming to society's norms and ideas.
Let me satart out by pointing out that I almost put this book down because the first third of this novel had some very difficult content. There are quite some trigger warnings to this book and since Sayaka Murata writes in a very straightforward, no nonsense sort of way I felt like these scenes landed even harder. I feel like her writing style is definitely very vivid and therefore I often had visual images of scenes in my head. Not ideal when the content is so dark. I did decide to read on and luckily the second half of this book worked a lot better for me. In it we jump over to adult Natsuki and we get a brief respite from the disturbing content of the beginning.
Do be aware however that the dark times aren't over, in this second half we will be diving into a lot of suspense and also a lot of gore and horror. Natsuki has entered into a marriage of convenience and she and her husband are trying to escape the clutches of society, refered to as 'thefactory' throughout this novel. Representative of the factory are pressuring them as they want them to take the next step in their relationship and start producing babies. Natsuki and her husband try to escape these pressures and expectations, but the factory is hot on their heels.
I absolutely ended up loving this weird novel. it went all out and explored interesting concepts as our protagonists embrace their alien nature and go about training their alien eye by looking at the world anew and re-evaluating the use of things around them. And that ending? perfect!
Is this for everyone though? No, just like with 'Convenience Store Woman' I think this is one you'll either love or hate and the fact that you liked that one doesn't guarantee you'll love this one. This book really walks around the edge of what is appropriate and so can easily fall on either side. It might end up pushing all the wrong buttons for you.
But when it pushes the right ones it can easily become a new favorite.
Wouldn't mind seeing this adapted into a movie: think: studio ghibli meets 'get out' meets 'american psycho'.

Readers of Murata's last book "Convenience Store Woman" are in for a surprise when they read this new novel. On the surface, the main character of "Earthlings" shares a similar personality as "Convenience Store Woman." Natsuki does not fit in with societal norms. But from there, this book takes a wild turn. Natsuki lives with her family- a mother who despises her and dotes on her older sister and disengaged father. She is emotionally and physically abused, and a school teacher sexually abuses her. The language is frank and difficult to take in. As a young girl, she fantasies that she is a magical, and her stuffed hedgehog speaks to her. These childhood fantasies take root in her life as a way to cope with her trauma. She is also close with her cousin Yuu, who also has a fantastical view on the world, believing he is an alien.

The book jumps ahead in time where Natsuki is an adult, in a companionate marriage with a man who is uninterested in any sort of physical relationship. He and Natsuki feed off of each other's delusions, and start calling societal pressures "the Factory"- they are expected to be intimate, have children, and hold down jobs. They escape to Natsuki's familial home where they meet up with Yuu, who she has not seen since she was a child. From there, one does not want to get too much into spoilers. What was used as a coping mechanism to live one's life becomes a shared psychosis, and the novel veers into the horror, and the reader is unable to tell what is real and what is not. It is an innovative look at how one might deal with pressures and expectations that family and society place on a fragile person. Super interesting to see how Murata starts with a similar character and completely changes the outcome for that person. Such an unusual voice!

Thank you to Grove Press and NetGalley for this advance reader copy for review.

This book is incredibly readable and takes you along for the ride. While I completely believe the narrator’s voice and the mess of society presented... this is not fantasy, not sci fi - it’s all too real. It gets incredibly dark while retaining a sheen of the bearable, even when it really shouldn’t. I can’t recommend this to everyone though! For that reason this is closer to 3.5 but I couldn’t stop reading... Society fails quite spectacularly.

Thanks to the advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book is insane in the best of possible ways. Sayaka Murata divided people with Convenience Store Woman. You either really loved it or you really hated it. Earthlings is going to blow that division out of the water.

Misogyny, cannibals, rape, incent, silkworms, aliens....this book does it ALL.

Clearly this is a parable - in the way that Animal Farm was. And what better time than now to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

I honestly did not know what I just read! When I see Sayaka Murata’s new book, I requested it without even reading anything about it. Little did I know I was in for a wild.. very wild ride!

Earthlings is about Natsuki as a child believes she is a magician with her transformation mirror and magic wand given by her imaginary friend Piyyut from Planet Popinpobopia, an emissary sent by Magic Police to save the planet. Her cousin Yuu also thinks he’s an alien abandoned by the spaceship and his mother took him in. Both Natsuki and Yuu developed an affinity to each other until they were discovered by their family and waswas separated. Years later, Natsuki had an unconventional marriage arrangement with Tomoya. They see The Factory (the society we live in) brainwashing them to conform to the society’s strict social norms and expectations and only see them as parts in making children, the very idea that they despise - being an Earthling.

I was still ok with the story along that line but as the story progresses it slowly started to go downhill for me. While some see themselves as tools and parts of the society and conform and adhere to what is expected of them, some reject the very notion of being part of it. But how do you separate and build yourself from the conventional and oppressive society and where do you go from there? There are lots of things needed to be explored in that area and I think the author failed to address that at the end.

If you plan to read this, read with caution and do not expect anything fun and quirky. Trigger warnings: parental abuse, child abuse, incest, violence, cannbalism.

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy "Earthlings", and up until about halfway through, I did. I loved "Convenience Store Woman", so I was expecting this to also be original and quirky. However, this takes it to the next level by being pretty much a smorgasbord of the most disturbing behaviours. I give it one star because I don't see the point in this, and I wouldn't ever think of picking it up again. Murata critiques social mores and the collective "brainwashing" that stupefies us into submitting to them, but the alternative that she presents is a total departure from "normal" and a descent into cannibalism, murder, and incest.

I think she's making a point about the way that stringent social mores can push us to a breaking point, but it seems like the bizarre happenings of the second half of the novel are so extreme that they're there for shock value. Our narrator, Natsuki, tells us at one point that the abuse she has endured has caused her to be mentally ill and create an alternative reality for herself in order to cope, and that she is still an "Earthling," even though she can't seem to fit in. At the end, Natsuki, Yuu, and Tomoya demonstrate social mores, but amplified: they consume each other's bodies just like society, or "the Factory" also consumes human bodies and makes them tools for reproduction, and they debate incest, which is another example of the perversion that Natsuki experiences at the hands of her abusive teacher. However, it is so extreme -- I thought to myself several times, "what am I reading?".
I like that Murata seems deeply opposed to the conventions that dictate modern life, especially for women, but this wasn't for me. I can't think of other books to compare this to, but I think readers who enjoyed films like "Videodrome" and "Neon Demon" might like this novel as well.