I feel confident that I can promise you that you've never read a story like the title story of this collection. All of Murata's stories go places I could never imagine going. I don't want to go there, but I am fascinated by her stories and I think they are well worth reading. After I finished reading, I really wondered about the author and how she comes up with such odd, but somehow realistic stories. She really digs deep into her characters and questions everything we know about society and imagines it differently. If you like to take a walk on the wild side, you'll probably enjoy this work. For sure Murata is an author of note!

5 stars

This short story collection is bound to stay with any reader for, maybe, the rest of their waking life. In characteristic fashion, Murata pulls together musings on the meaning of life, unforgettable instances of body horror, and explorations of evolving individual values in some of the most sinister and creative ways (un)imaginable.

Murata has a real knack for reveals, and this is one of the strengths of a comprehensively powerful collection. The surprises are earth shattering at times and are often made more profound because of the presentation. To quote Leiomy, these are some "regala/degala" presentations of some utterly irregular ideas and circumstances.

Anyone who has read Murata's work will know that it's not always for the average bear. While some of these short stories are tamer than others, they all make readers think. For most readers, this collection will be the best and/or the strangest thing they've ever consumed. I loved it and can't wait for more.

I LOVED <i>"The Convenience Store Woman"</i>. It was an unexpected read for me and so when I saw this on NG, I jumped at the chance to request it and was really happy when I got the ARC.
And then I started reading it.

Ahh. Yeah, no. No. This was really not for me. Very weird [and I am drawn to weird, but not THIS weird], unexpectedly [and really, unnecessarily] disgusting, there was little to like, much less love in this book of stories. The only reason that this received 2 stars was because there were two stories that I didn't mind and actually liked a little. Since there are twelve stories, some of them quite long, this is not a good ratio.

I am very disappointed because I was really looking forward to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori - Translator, and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This set of short stories….creepy, touching, funny: as expected from Sayaka Murata. The different stories were all fun and enjoyable, and I think one was a follow up to Convenience Store Woman?

I wanted so much to like this story collection, Murata's first, but it felt very uneven. There are some really unique stories here, that bring up large ethical issues while also embracing Murata's quirky style. But then there are some others that felt just like blips on the radar; as soon as you start to get into it, then it's over. And then there is the cannibalism story, which just went a little too far for my taste.

I really enjoyed some of the longer stories, the ones that allowed you to settle into the world that Murata has created. In particular, I liked "A First-Rate Material", in which our protagonists grapple with the ethical question of whether humans should be re-purposed after death into materials. "A Magnificent Spread" featured a character who believes herself to be not of this world and led to a interesting discussion of food and culture. In "Lover on the Breeze", a curtain describes falling in love with a human; weird but also somehow very sweet. And finally "Eating the City" has our protagonist going around her city to find plants to eat, connecting her back to nature and life in her childhood.

One of the lengthiest stories, the title story "Life Ceremony", was the most difficult to read. Murata envisions a near-future in which death and the beginning of life are closely intertwined. On a person's death, they are prepared into a meal of which all of their family and friends partake. Participants are encouraged to find someone to "procreate" with as well during this ceremony, emphasizing the cyclical nature of life. The ideas in this story are fascinating. But Murata lost me in just how graphic the cannibalism was. It was a hard story to read, to say the least.

Overall, I wish we had gotten a longer collection here, with more of the longer stories that worked better. The shorter stories end up being awkward interludes that I did not care as much about, pulling me out of what would have been a smoother reading experience.

i love sayaka murata, that talented freak. can't wait to see how weird these are going to be 💗

little review for each story!

STORY 1: A FIRST RATE MATERIAL
this is an extremely doable level of gross so far. much closer to convenience store woman than earthlings on the sayaka murata scale.
rating: 3.5

STORY 2: A MAGNIFICENT SPREAD
kinda rudimentary to be honest. what my high school english teacher would call Hit You Over The Head Themes.
rating: 3

STORY 3: A SUMMER NIGHT'S KISS
too normal creative writing 101 of a title. what could this be.
hm. actually it was sweet and nice.
rating: 4

STORY 4: TWO'S FAMILY
same characters slightly different story so fun!
rating: 4

STORY 5: THE TIME OF THE LARGE STAR
love a star. the bigger the better, i think.
oh. it's the sun.
rating: 3.5

STORY 6: POOCHIE
i don't even want to keep middle aged men in my life or near me or in existence, let alone as a PET.
after 3 cute ones, too. sayaka, you keep me on my toes!
rating: 2.5

STORY 7: LIFE CEREMONY
title story!!!
this is about if people were more like cockroaches and somehow that's not even in the top 3 most disturbing things about it.
and then there's this quote which sums up all of murata's writing to me: "Instinct doesn't exist. Morals don't exist. They were just fake sensibilities that came from a world that was constantly transforming."
totally wild.
rating: 3.75

STORY 8: BODY MAGIC
like earthlings but tolerable.
rating: 3.75

STORY 9: LOVER ON THE BREEZE
hm.
rating: 3

STORY 10: PUZZLE
this is truly the opposite of how i see the world, to the point that i'm like. is this how one achieves transcendence?
rating: 3.75

STORY 11: EATING THE CITY
ok...this was sick. in the very cool way, not the gross/disturbing/potentially cool way. city girls up 1,000.
rating: 4

STORY 12: HATCHLING
the real nightmare was the stories we unexpectedly related to along the way.
rating: 3.5

OVERALL
i'm still chasing that convenience store woman high, and some of these stories felt non-complex, but overall i think this was a compelling insight into how murata sees the world! (without any of what felt like the extraneous unnecessary grossness in earthlings.)
rating: 3.5

Japanese cult author Sayaka Murata is hitting .500 in terms of the quality of her previous two books when combined. Her debut, Convenience Store Woman, was a delightful — if short — account of a woman obviously on the autism spectrum trying to enjoy life in the traditional hierarchy of Japan. Murata’s follow-up, Earthlings, essentially squandered all the goodwill she had generated with the previous novel, though. It was weird and grotesque, with the themes of incest, sexual assault, and cannibalism on the menu. In preparation for her next novel-length move, Murata is now publishing a short story collection called Life Ceremony that veers more towards Earthlings than it does Convenience Store Woman. That said, it generally isn’t too bad — but it does maintain Murata’s score of hitting only .500 baseball. The reason is that Life Ceremony can be sometimes weird for weirdness’s sake, and some of the stories mine a concept but then does absolutely nothing with that concept. And that’s when it’s not making you retch.

The gamut of stories in Life Ceremony run from a piece narrated from the perspective of a child’s bedroom curtain to a tale where a pair of schoolgirls keep a middle-aged man hidden in a shed as something of a pet. The title story might be the most revolting, though: it concerns “life ceremonies” that have started to occur in society in place of funerals, where the mourners eat the remnants of the dead in miso soup. If that didn’t make you lose your breakfast, lunch, and supper all at once, the point of these ceremonies is to — upon eating the dead — procreate! (Except it’s not called “having sex” but “semination” instead.) A couple of stories here are about the joys of eating dandelions, which just as much grosses me out as eating human remains does. And then there’s a story where a couple has an argument about wearing clothing made from human hair, and there are a few stories that seem to be set in the universe of Earthlings as well. It’s a strange and varied collection that holds just about nothing in common with Convenience Store Woman, except perhaps in places here and there.

I do sort of know where Murata is going with this collection of grotesqueries. Take the story of the girls holding a middle-aged man captive: it’s a story that flips the Japanese fetish with sexualizing young girls on its proverbial head, even if that’s the only point of the thing and there’s no further story here than that. Other stories that deal with incest try to remove the taboo if it’s done with consent between young children who are only experimenting with their sexuality. And Murata seems to believe in cultural relativism as a philosophical and moral guide: one story is about the differences in food that a family eats, showing that people from different regions or cultures experience things differently. Thus, I understand all of this — I think. However, that didn’t stop me from being weirded and creeped out by a few of these stories. A lot of Life Ceremony seems predicated on shock value and how much revolution can be inspired upon the reader. I must wonder: what happened to the nice Japanese lady who wrote the charming Convenience Store Woman? Where did she go? Because it’s as though Earthlings and large swaths of Life Ceremony have been written by an entirely different human being.

That all said, there is still material in this collection that can be enjoyed, even if it gets a bit on the outré side. The story of the curtain is somewhat touching, even if it really seems to be more of a piece about lost innocence when a child grows up. And even though the human hair story is kind of gross, it is interesting and is far less invasively revolting than “Life Ceremony,” the novelette, is. So, there are bits and pieces that readers may enjoy in this collection, and I will say that it might be not a bad place to start reading Murata’s work because it will give you an indication if you want more of the same (Earthlings) or if you want to try something a little more lightweight (Convenience Store Woman). Not that Life Ceremony doesn’t have its share of the frothy: the final story in this collection is about a woman with five or six seemingly different “personalities” (but isn’t mentally ill). However, the bulk of this collection runs from the weird to the very weird to the “I don’t know what this story is going on about” variety.

At the end of the day, Life Ceremony does prove one thing: that Murata does have a unique voice, even if it is quite bizarre probably even by Japanese standards. This is a book by a fearless writer. After all, what else can be said about someone who makes incest seem palpable under certain circumstances? Still, I will imagine that Life Ceremony will likely be off-putting to those who have not joined the cult of Murata. Too many of these stories are just too plain gross to be profound. Lengthy descriptions of what human meat tastes like are not for me! (And I’m known for my weird fiction writing of yore.) Still, there’s enough evidence of talent when Murata manages to restrain herself and reel in some of her more outlandish quirks. Again, she’s a voice — even if it’s one that frequently enjoys the garish and out-of-tune. To that end, Life Ceremony is a mixed bag. And by mixed bag, I mean you should have a barf bag by your side when you encounter this. All in all, Murata is truly batting .500 here — it’s somewhere in between the poles of her two previous works. The good news is that it isn’t quite as obnoxiously dark as Earthlings was. Where she goes from here is anyone’s guess, though, because, man, some of this kind of writing may just cause you to hurl in your mouth just a little bit.

The short stories in this book range from surreal to speculative to whimsical to bizarre. Some are extreme and outlandish, while others are more subtle and quiet. All of them are reflective of human nature and societal norms, focusing on people who don’t quite fit into society’s boxes.

This is where Murata shines, as her work often examines characters who are considered outliers or abnormal in some way. Each story focuses on a different aspect of societal norms, so there are a variety of themes covered throughout the pages of the book. Some are familiar topics, like gender norms, family roles, parenting, traditions, and careers. Others delve into more taboo subjects, like cannibalism, sexual awakenings, and the use of body parts after a person dies.

Some of the stories were extremely relatable while others were a bit uncomfortable, and they were all fascinating. If you’re a fan of weird and bizarre, this is a book you’ll probably enjoy!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this advanced readers copy!

What I love most about great short stories is their ability to shock. This collection has a very high shock factor. I will keep coming back for more of the awesome weirdness of Murata.

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley, Granta, and Grove for providing me an eARC to review!

This definitely leans more Earthlings than Convenience Store Woman, but it explores the themes Murata does so well - modern relationships, pregancy/reproduction, and society's shunning of those who don't conform. But it also introduced some new ones - finding pleasure/peace with your own body, making fun of the urban romanticisation of rural life, and first love.

I think Murata is at her best when she's at her weirdest. Were some of these stories an unpleasant reading experience? Yes. But is it also iconic? Also yes! It's so refreshing to see an author just doing whatever they want and have it be entirely unique. Would definitely advise looking up content warnings though because at times this is...a lot. But there are also some stories which are shorter and quieter which is nice too.

I think maybe my favourite story was 'Eating the City' but the weirder ones like 'Life Ceremony' and 'A First Rate Material' definitely stood out just because of how strange they were, with 'Poochie' and 'Love on the Breeze' also getting honourable mentions.

(Spoiler-free review) I don't typically enjoy short story compilations. The exemptions must be weird or grotesque, and Sayaka Murata had a good chance of keeping my attention. When I read Earthlings it was a journey I was amazed by, particularly loving the skill of the writer and appreciating the storyline, but it was -just- short of perfection. The kind of book that you say "I will read whatever this author writes", without a doubt.

Life Ceremony was certainly not a letdown, and is in fact an ideal concoction for my preferences. The bizarre, the magical realism, the introspective, the value of friendship, the outsiders view of the world we live in, the absurdity of humanity and the rules we create for ourselves.

The stories are so gentle and the craft in weaving the atmosphere and humanity in the way it does is wonderful and heartwarming in ways I would not have expected.

This is literary fiction, to read on a boat on a lake and contemplate what it is to be. Or on a sofa in a plain room in an apartment block, in front of a curtain blowing in the wind, because beauty is absolutely everywhere.

Each story was not a 5 star read individually, but as a whole this was a cohesive experience, and one I loved. Certain stories and themes have stayed with me, and not only from the ones I rated the highest! It was a great reading experience.

A First Rate Material - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A Magnificent Spread - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A Summer Night's Kiss - 🌟🌟🌟
Two's Family - 🌟🌟🌟
The Time Of The Large Star - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Poochie - 🌟🌟🌟
Life Ceremony - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Body Magic - 🌟🌟🌟
Lover On The Breeze - 🌟🌟🌟
Puzzle - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Eating The City - 🌟🌟🌟
Hatchling - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[This eARC was generously given to me via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Sayaka Murata is known for her social criticism and this anthology of short stories sure stretches the boundaries of social standards. It makes the reader uncomfortable, and, unfortunately, not only because it makes you think if you own your own place in our society, or even a different one, but also because sometimes Murata overdoes it by provoking the reader way too much. And, to be honest, some of the stories were not as enjoyable as others, or were too short. But others were better constructed, giving a lot of food for thought. As for the writing, it is simple, but it does the job, descriptive and with sharp edges.
Big Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Copy

The second I got approved for this one, I could not wait to cut into it. I loved Convenience Store Woman and although I wasn’t as into Earthlings, there were still some interesting parts in it that felt true to Sayaka Murata’s brand. I loved a lot of these stories and how strange each one was. As with all short story collections, some were favored more than others but the majority of these were fascinating while sometimes rattling my nervous system and turning my stomach upside down. Personal favorites are A First Rate Material, A Magnificent Spread, Life Ceremony, Lover on the Breeze, Eating The City and Hatchling. I cannot wait to see what she puts out next. Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Sayaka Murata for the e-ARC!

3.5
I read Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings so when I saw this collection of short stories on NetGalley I had to request.

I haven’t loved any of these books, but I am curious as they’re just so weird! These stories have more in common with Earthlings then CSW, so if the former left you thinking WTF?! in a good way, this collection is for you!

The collection is short and will probably take no more than 2-3 sittings to finish. The reoccurring themes are being different, bodily functions, sexuality, and food. I probably liked A First-Rate Material and Life Ceremony best (there is also some overlap in the content of these two). Other stories were superfluous in my opinion – A Summer Night’s Kiss, Lover on the Breeze (or maybe you like anthropomorphic curtains?).

What I liked: the unusual premise of the stories and that they tend to be unexpected – really anything could happen here.

What I didn’t like: most of the stories here are quite similar; usually revolving around an outsider/someone going against the grain, and we come to the conclusion that it’s okay to be different. Also, I find the dialogue very stilted and fake. This is something that often puts me off Japanese literature. While it’s surely intentional in the translation to try to stay close to the source material, I find it off-putting and sometimes it’s like watching a made for foreigners cartoon where no one speaks very naturally.

Thanks NetGalley and Grove Atlantic.

This is the classic case of what the fudge did I read?!? Like seriously. I love Convenience Store Woman and it was even on my top ten read in 2020. Then Earthling came and it was still ok and but very different from CSW but this, I don’t know. I’ll keep it short as I am still processing what I just read. Life Ceremony consists of twelve short stories. There are only two stories that I can force myself to like. The title story is interesting but a little bit disturbing. Some are down right ridiculous stories, some don’t even have a point and I’m just as clueless. Really not for me.

Anyway, I will just say, read at your own risk. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. For now, I’m not sure I will read any work from the author again.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date - July 5.

It is an average collection of short stories.
For me, only two of them really piqued my interest and held my attention. The concepts of those were amazing.
Everything else was not my cup of tea.
Too bland, too without a context or convincing setting that bothers me.

This is my first read from Sayaka Murata, but I am hear Convenience Store Woman alot since being translated into my native language. I am going blind when read this book and I am truly shocked.

"Normal is a type of madness, isn't?"
Life Ceremony is a collection of twelve provocative short stories, dystopian setting with new normals of society that seem odds to think about. The author capable bring so many numerous distrubing topics such as cannibalism and reuse human body parts after dead in very short pages for each stories but hit true. The stories it self actually unique and brave with a reflection about possibility how far human society can goes in the future. I tried so hard but found out this book contents is not suitable for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Press for providing me with this copy. I am grateful but my thoughts are my own.

A collection of 12 short stories that do exactly what Sayaka Murata is known for. She turns society's norms on their heads making us question and wonder why society is the way it is as well as making us squirm in the process.

Life Ceremony is a mixture of humour and horror (but not in the traditional sense) and while some of the stories are a little more on the forgettable side, there are others that are most definitely not.
While I do not want to spoil the shock value that comes with Murata's writing by telling you what each one was about, I'll share my top 3:
First -Rate Material
Life Ceremony
Hatchling

Murata's weird and wonderful writing can be appreciated at surface level but it's best enjoyed with others so that it can be discussed and deciphered to a deeper level.

A book of modern life in vibrant, distorted detail.

With some trepidation, I started Murata’s new novel. I wasn't sure what to expect from her second novel, after all, her debut was so popular and highly regarded that I have been intimidated to read it.

To great surprise, I found the first chapter engrossing, interesting and thoroughly entertaining. I could feel myself tear up reading a twisted yet sweet scene between a boy, his dead father and a wedding veil made from the father’s skin. I have to say that the novel is shocking in its great ability to first make one comfortable with the idea of a human-hair sweater, then with the idea of using human parts for jewellery until I begin to question whether these practices should become standard.

After all, I’ve known that people’s remains can be made into jewellery for some time now and the practice is treated with great reverence, so why not take it further? Use more body parts for more objects like furniture? Fingernail chandeliers? Dried stomach lampshades? Shinbone chairs?

Looking back on those words now, I see how revolting they are but Life Ceremony lulls the reader into a false reality where these are commonplace and to think otherwise is to be non-conformist. And the desire to conform to these ideals is very tempting. Three women fawn over receiving a wedding ring set with a single human tooth because why wear cold stones like diamonds when you can opt for something more human?

And this is all within the first chapter, alone it could be a short story up there with the thought-provoking works of Borges and yet there’s more. Each chapter examines its own everyday topic with unusual examples. Chapter two includes three family members who enjoy eating their own equally disgusting foods; Futuristic puree, grubs in sauce and a concoction of weeds and orange juice. Equally strange and equally different and no family member is willing to try another’s.

The prose is grey, pallid and short in a way reminiscent of a Yorgos Lanthimos film. The book’s colours come from its situations and ideas. A book to be read slowly, chapter by chapter. To read it all in sequence may be overwhelming, but regardless it is a book to remember.

Fascinating. In recognizable style, Murata dreams up the most peculiar situations and predicaments. Although I enjoy her novels as well, this collection of short stories was so fun to read that I used it to motivate my work, reading one story per hour of work haha. From the beginning, we're drawn into "First-Rate Material" which is about a couple living in a society where humans are recycled after they pass. Table legs from leg bones, sweaters from hair, you get the idea. What I loved the most is how honest these vignettes felt. Simple people living their simple lives that are normal to them but foreign to us. Definitely a strong recommendation from me but be aware it definitely is a collection you'll want to devour in one day.