I received a free ebook copy of "Life Ceremony : Stories" by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed Murata's first two works, "Convenience Store Woman" and "Earthlings," so I was eager to review her first collection of short stories. I come to this collection as already a fan of Murata's strange and blunt writing, but fans of her work will notice a difference in how far the "strange" envelops the societies she creates. Each narrative jumps immediately into its questions: "What is normal?" "How far can society change?" "Where do human beings start and stop being commodities?" Again, we revisit the traditional house in the countryside, a recurring memory that lingers through Murata's writing, where perhaps questions of societal shifts can be answered.

Murata's protagonists range from grounded to delusional. And these shift within each story. But again, what even is "delusional"? Where "Convenience Store Woman" and "Earthlings" slowly guide the reader into the protagonists' frames of mind, "Life Ceremonies" is a jarring plunge. Long narratives are Murata's strength, as she convinces the reader understand and become her protagonist. Her short stories make the reader an outsider forced to look in instead. Readers unfamiliar with Sayaka Murata may stop reading before the real "meat" of this collection. Murata's descriptions are exact, yet medically cool. This disconnect between humans and their bodies, between city life and nature, is a running theme. However, these may go too far for some readers.

I may be biased in my review of Sayaka Murata's collection. It was unlike anything I had read before and cleansed my reading palate. This is something I plan to return to after a long digestion. I would recommend this to fans of Murata's other fiction, or to readers branching into soft psychological horror, experimental fiction, or dissociative stories. It's a small audience she writes for, but I do think anyone who has felt "other" can find some piece to take with them back into "normal" society.

Sayaka Murata is a master of the uncanny and unsettling. I LOVED this short story collection.
Usually I get sick of short story books and feel they get repetitive but these all felt completely unique and intentional. I love her writing style — it reads so fast and never drags. I had high expectations after absolutely adoring Earthlings and this did not let me down. I will be recommending this big time!

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for this arc.

I read Murata’s two previous novels translated into English but this is my first short-story collection. The author continues with the same tone of her previous works, maintaining the characteristics of the modern Japanese literature, with a bold and aggressive writing style, attacking traditions, systems, and hierarchies.

In Life Ceremony we have twelve short-stories. They are harsh, unsettling, disturbing, and sometimes humorous. Murata has a different way to look at things, as do her characters, who defy societal norms, do not fit in the mould established by contemporary society, who embrace freedom and leave social constructs behind.

With these kafkaesque stories, Murata seems to show us that the world is changing, and this transformation of the world can be seen by her approach of the idea of multiculturalism that respects others who have a different view of the world from themselves. What is "normal" and what is "abnormal"? If you choose a different life path from most people, must it be wrong?

How should we face these changes? Maybe this is also the answer that the author was seeking in this book. As always, Murata makes a sharp analysis of social rules, of the situation of contemporary people and of the women's identity. I don’t think this collection is for everyone, but I recommend it to those who appreciate the work of this writer.

Thank you to the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for an early copy of this book via Netgalley.

Life Ceremony is packed with engrossing and eerie thought-provoking short stories that leave you stranded, craving more, a finale or an explanation (what do you mean you own things made of people's remains...what do you mean you perform ritual-like 'life ceremonies' where you eat the dead and then have sex...what do you mean...) Murata's craft shines in this collection through her incredibly smart scenarios and fleshed-out characters. Despite the length of the stories, Murata's writing tugs and brings you back before you can move on (if you can) to sit and soak which translates into don't sit there and judge. Think. Can't you recognize how the conditions they live in force them into their current states of being?

I just really enjoy everything Murata so far published in English. These are weird stories, but with something familier in all of them. I like the writing style, very easy to read even if the stories are not always easy.

This is a collection of expectedly eccentric short stories by Sayaka Murata. It is quite apparent that the stories are translations, but the language is also quite sparse. Many of the stories seem over ambitious, mainly summarizing characters and laying out societal observations disappointingly straightforwardly. Don’t get me wrong, the observations are astute, but I prefer to gather them myself.

My favorite story is the title story—Life Ceremony. This collection possessed many stories on what makes us human—our nature, how we are different from animals, and how we are different from objects. I found Life Ceremony to be particularly intriguing in its concept. Murata has come up with quite brilliant scenarios (making objects out of human skin, eating human flesh) that seem unusually logical when laid out this way.

Overall, this was an interesting but somewhat inconsistent read.

Link to review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4614502925?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Hmmm. This one is hard to rate. I really liked some of the stories, but others I found gross and tedious. I also didn't care for the English translation. The translation was average, somewhat choppy. I've read translated novels/stories before and this one was underwhelming. I think my favorite short story was "Hatchling". It was quirky and funny. Some of the stories were downright disgusting to read. Too many stories about taboo topics like cannibalism, human hair. I love short story collections, but there's better ones out there. This was one was just s0-so. Not much variety or intrigue.

Thank you, Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the digital ARC.

A truly mindbending collection of short stories— I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I had to pause in between stories just so I wouldn’t finish it too soon.

Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings, comes back and continues to question what exists in our world today. She explores the norms and taboos in our society, then presents them in these stories, with her signature simple prose and dry humour, and force you to think.

In this book, burials don’t exist— it’s either your remains get turned into furniture, or get eaten by your loved ones. Existing as a part of a social microcosm presents a question— am I really myself? or am I merely an extension of the world around me, of the people that surround me? Is there such a thing as a “self” that is separate from nature, from others? What is material, and immaterial? Do our laws really hold us accountable, or maybe they’re just merely there for convenience? Do social constructs really exist, or are they just figments of our imaginations so that our brain can make sense of our lives?

In this ever-changing world, does anything we believe in even hold meaning? or will we become ashes obliterated someday and our existence left to the cosmos with no significance whatsoever?

Those were just some of the things that popped into my head to ponder on, while I was reading these stories. This is a book that doesn’t give you answers, but makes you question everything— and I am all here for it.

Without a doubt, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I cannot wait to read Earthlings next!! 💃🏻

Thank you so much @grantabooks for this digital ARC 🥰 now i can’t wait to have the physical book soon so i can annotate it 💖

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a miss for me. While I have enjoyed Sayaka Murata's previous work (Convenience Store Woman) - I did not enjoy this book at all. Perhaps, I am not an ideal audience, but the strangeness was not of my taste.

These stories are weird and borderline-disgusting. I love them.

Sayaka Murata’s eloquent and whimsical writing meets a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and a bit of literary fiction to create twelve beautiful and haunting vignettes. Each story is overflowing with so much meaning and commentary; each one packs a punch. With hints of cannibalism, light incest, and human-repurposing, this collection isn’t for the faint-of-heart. It should be noted, though, that these topics were evidently selected carefully and purposefully; Murata doesn’t use these unorthodox themes as a jumpscare-tactic, but rather to evoke a visceral reaction from the reader—to invite us to examine and explore our own humanness alongside these troubled characters—and it WORKS.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the advance copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

This short story collection is similar to Murata's other work- weird, throught- provoking and very exploratory. I found that some of the stories were hit or miss for me but overall I enjoyed this collection and the callbacks to Earthlings that were scattered throughout the stories.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is a collection of short stories exploring societal norms, cannibalism, alienation that makes you question different aspects and mindsets. It can be too gruesome and disturbing. Honestly speaking, i didn’t really enjoy most of the stories here though it is likely to be similar to Earthlings (which i really love). Something about this collection just didn’t do it for me, i feel like some of the stories were less engaging and not doing anything. But this is a nice quick read if you’re looking for something quirky and unsettling. My personal favorites from tis collection would be A First-Rate Material and Life Ceremony.

Once again, Sayaka Murate made a piece of work (or many in that case as it is a collection of short stories) that is fascinating, disturbing and not so far from reality sometimes.

What I love about this author is the way she grasp moments from another perspective, another angle and sometimes from a point that a lot of people might miss in reality or never think of.

Some of these stories might make some people uncomfortable, starting with the first one about human bodies after they die. But it isn’t that far for the truth or the world that we live in right now. All her stories somehow questions modern society. It really showed me how ridiculous the world we live in as well as what we call ‘social standards’ can be sometimes

I find her witty and poignant. A little quote that that stayed with me:

‘I mean, normal is a kind of madness, isn’t it? I think it’s just that the only madness society allows is called normal’

I would recommend this book and this author. I loved reading 'Convenience Store Woman', 'Earthlings' and now 'Life Ceremony", her writing is always so imaginative and surprising.

Thank you to the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for an early copy of this book for review via Netgalley.

I'm a fan of Sayaka Murata. I've read, enjoyed, and often recommended both Earthlings and Convenience Store women, so I was very excited when I saw that she was having a short collection story published in English. In this collection of stories, Murata questions social and cultural norms, and our human rituals surrounding cooking, sex, death, and community. There is a fascination surrounding acceptable human interactions and what makes them acceptable or unacceptable. There is humor, there is the utilization of the absurd, and there is a lot of tenderness and generosity in these stories.

Such a great collection of short stories! I can’t really explain them as the best part of reading it was going in with no expectations and then having literal jaw dropping reactions as the unusual part of the story was revealed. Some of the stories seem to be set now, but in a slightly altered world with different customs, some seem to be set in the near future, others with an altered reality but all made me think about societal customs and expectations and how I’d react to the different situations. My favourites were “A First-Rate Material” (view spoiler); “A Magnificent Spread” about different food customs; “Life Ceremony”(view spoiler). I doubt I will forget this one! “Poochie” an unusual pet (view spoiler); “Lovers on the Breeze” about a curtain named Puff!
An original and entertaining read.

I received an ARC of Life Ceremony from the publisher in exchange for a review and was so excited (totally buying the hardcover too because I loved this so much). I just recently read Muratas other works and was so excited to learn of this collection.

If you have read Earthlings or CSW, you know exactly what to expect with this short story collection. Some of the stories here are downright gruesome and others are very touching.
Each story had something special that I truly loved and my favorite of the book was the final story Hatchlings. Hatchlings was far more reminiscent of CSW than Earthlings and it brought the charm of showing how someone goes through such lengths to fit in to how society perceives them to be.
There is a story in this book for just about everyone but at the same time there are stories here that may shock and disturb others. Please look into content warnings before diving in unless you read and enjoyed Earthlings then you know what you're getting into.
Murata has become an instant buy author for me and I can only hope we get more English translations of her work.

On surface level, many of these short stories veer into the grotesque and reprehensible: from cannibalism to public insemination (and that's just one story). But below their surface these stories ask the reader to contemplate why the taboo is taboo. Why are social constructs devised by humans? And if they are so easily changed (as is suggested in the titular <i>Life Ceremony</i>), why do they hold such power over us?

Murata takes societal norms and turns them on their head. And yet, the societies depicted are not so different from our own. People decide what is normal, and make it acceptable by creating a narrative to support it. So long as enough people accept it, life goes on without a hitch. Particularly poignant in Japanese society, but still very much relevant in the West.

These twelve stories are intriguing, though many may be put off by what they interpret to be reaction-inducing story-telling. Hopefully those readers will give this collection a chance and reflect on why exactly they react so strongly to these stories. Perhaps their reaction is testament to how well Murata understands and can observe society independently of societal norms and biases.

Overall, a strong collection of stories. Though I would suggest splitting up reading to maybe one or two a day - just to take time to digest each individually.

Many thanks to Grove Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sayaka Murata's latest English release (again translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori) following the success of her novels, Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings, which I loved, is a collection of short stories in her typical weird, often disturbing and yet engrossing style.

From discussions about the human body and what we should do with it after someone dies—turn their skin into a veil or their bones into a chandelier perhaps?—to how humans play a part in a larger ecosystem, both natural and man-made, these stories are varied in length and absurdity.

My favorite stories were the ones we spent a bit more time in. The weakest part of this collection for me were the short stories that only lasted a couple pages; they simply didn't have enough substance, for me, to be included in this collection. They felt like sketches, not polished, complete stories.

However, the titular story, "Life Ceremony", as well as "Body Magic", "A First-Rate Material", "Eating the City" and "Hatchling" were all thought-provoking, sometimes disturbing stories in Murata's signature style. It's worth reading the collection for these stories alone.

Those who have never read Murata before this may be put off by the content of some of her stories. Her willingness to lean into the strange, grotesque sides of humanity, even to their extremes for the sake of a story, may repel others. But those who have read and loved her books before will come to this with an understanding that Murata uses these extremes to extract some nugget of truth, or at least question our social expectations and standards. No doubt she has much more to explore in the future and I'm interested in seeing where she goes next.

This book of short stories upends our concepts of "normal" and questions why things are as they are. While I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and found it quite creative, at times it was a little too gory/graphic!

Sayaka Murata asks how it is people form their identities and understand what is "normal." Everything from what we eat to how we create families is put under the microscope in "Life Ceremony: Stories." Social conventions rule over us by telling us to fit in and yet this book is a comforting reminder that none of us really know what we're doing. I'm already a huge fan of Sayaka Murata and this book really was all of the best she has to offer.