This book is set in a dystopian world where there is no sexual intercourse between couples.Sex is something to be disgusted or avoided , no one talks about it and no one practices it to have baby, rather do artificial insemination to bear a child.The latter method is encouraged while former is extinct.

Amane is born from the former method and she always sees it as a shame to be born in such a way.The world is changing everyday that they try to create a world where each individual do not need a partner to be with or depend for something like having a child.Amane is consumed by all the new changes happening in the world that she does not want to look back to how the world worked once.

This book was totally weird from the very beginning considering the concept.There are so many gross and bizarre things that are hard to digest yet fascinating.Anyways I really enjoy how she writes no plot books that are intriguing enough to continue.

My main issue with this was that it was a bit boring in the first part, and the book really picked up in the second half but the ending was a letdown for me.I was constantly waiting for something reasonable to happen even though I never get it from her books.Also was not a fan of the world and felt like a nightmare living it from the main PoV.

Overall recommending this to those who love a weird fiction set in a dystopian world.

I found the concept of this book to be really interesting but the execution felt a bit lacklustre to me. It was very slow to build up and while I liked seeing Amane slowly giving in to the brainwashing it still didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Surreal, yet poignant. Sayaka Murata’s novels have a way of getting across such rich and emotional concepts in the most atypical of stories. Perfect book for those who love weird woman fiction.

Sayaka Murata, a Japanese author best known for her novel Convenience Store Woman delves into a strange alternate reality in her 2015 novel Vanishing World. The Japan of Vanishing World is one in which artificial insemination, introduced following World War II has led to a decline, and almost demonization of sexual intimacy. Murata takes this premise and follows it through to some scarily believable end points in a place called Experiment City.
The main character of Vanishing World, Amane is a bit of an outsider due to the fact that she was conceived and born naturally. But she needs connection is desperate to fit in and so does what all of her contemporaries do and falls in love with an anime character, which later becomes a slew of anime characters. Her first marriage fails because her husband wants to have sex with her – in this world husband and wife are seen as “family” so any relations between them are considered to be incest. Her second husband Saku understands the rules and both have relationships outside their marriage to fulfill their need for "love". Amane and Saku eventually move to Experiment City where all children are raised communally and men can carry babies to term.
There are plenty of scifi ideas in Vanishing World, but what Murata is really interested in is exploring the decline of intimacy, of people who project their emptions onto fictional characters and, underlying all of this, the significantly declining birthrate in Japan. The book comes across as a though experiment in which a single, relatively uncontroversial idea (in this artificial insemination) is taken to an extreme and projected over a long enough period to create some absurdist outcomes.
As with many books in translation though, while there is a universality to the ideas that Murata is dealing with in Vanishing World, there are almost certainly nuanced points she is making about Japanese society in particular that are likely to pass many readers by. But even so, Murata has delivered a scenario that provides plenty for readers to think about.

Sayaka Murata consistently delivers entertaining and shocking social commentary through sci-fi /horror/unhinged women's lit, and Vanishing World is no exception. 

Vanishing World is set in an alternate reality where society has deemed procreation through natural means inefficient and chaotic. A nuclear family still consists of a father, mother, and children, however, it is considered incest for husband and wife to have a physical romantic relationship... because it's sex with a family member. 

I really love the themes this title explores. I love how creative and unsettling this narrative plays out. My only criticism is that I felt Vanishing World's puzzle pieces ultimately didn't fall into place as cleanly as some of her other titles. I was left with a lot of questions. Overall, the logic of the world didn't seem to fully align with itself. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Grove Press (An imprint of Grove Atlantic) for an advance e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Murata writes strange books, I knew that going into this. But this missed the mark for me a bit. Overall this had a lot of commentary that focused on social issues and society… it was a slower read and very heavy.

I did not realize this was her debut book now translated to English. This could be why I wasn’t a huge fan- just wasn’t quite as developed as other novels. I truly don’t understand what she was going for with this book. It will find its audience, though.

I found the idea of this book really interesting and was looking forward to it after reading Convenience Store Woman. However I was very disappointed. The writing felt flat and boring. Not for me, I gave up after about a third of the book.

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. She paints a world where sex is no longer needed, where men and women alike give birth by means of artificial insemination. The nuclear family structure is shattered —babies are born to be treated as pets, An entire city is full of "mothers" who take care of the children as a community. This dystopian society is a perfect metaphor for the loneliness epidemic that accompanies the digital age, and it's a striking commentary on the current social situation in Japan. 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).

Much to think about.

I am a big fan of Sayaka Murata's work and have read everything she's published in English - while I enjoyed elements of Vanishing World, I think it is my least favourite of her works so far, not least for this novel's stomach-churning ending. That said, I have nothing but praise for her ability to make her readers think differently about the world, and the elements of society that we consider the most innate: in this novel, those apparently innate traitsa put under the microscope are sex and love.

Like all her work, it's primarily a work of social commentary; Amane lives in a world where sex between couples has fallen out of favour. People turn to fictional characters for love, and having sex with a husband is viewed as tantamount to incest. This was fascinationg commentary, albeit a little confusing as it felt so far-fetched. It took me quite a while to wrap my head around it. Amane is one of the last human beings who was concieved naturally, which makes her feel like an outcast. We follow her throughout her childhood and adult life - she's little more than a lens through which we explore the world Murata has created. There is... a lot of exploration, which I didn't mind even if it was a bit slow. I appreciated the commitment to the building & exploration of a world so different to our own.

In the novel's final part, the plot kicks into gear, with Amane and her husband moving to the incredibly named "Experiment City" to become, well, experiments as part of the next frontier of human reproduction. What unfolds over the final section of the novel is challenging to read, to say the least - I consider myself reasonably hardcore when it comes to Weird Novels but I struggled a bit with this one. But I don't know what I expected from Sayaka Murata - she never pretended to be anything other than a taboo-busting, truly bizarre writer. Vanishing World pushes the boundaries over and over again, culminating in an intense and difficult ending, just as her last novel, Earthlings, did.

Uncanny, unsettling and thought-provoking, I can't say I enjoyed Vanishing World but it is one that will stick in my mind for a long time after reading.

Sayaka Murata definitely likes getting weird and this one was definitely that. Unsurprisingly the tone reminded me of some of some of Murata’s short stories in Life Ceremony and I also thought of The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter with the way so many accepted norms were subverted. Despite the very strange setup, the worldbuilding isn’t super specific, and this one is more of a vibes story that outlines different parts of this setup through the narrator. I’m not fully certain I got everything Murata was going for in this, beyond a weird what-if speculation and it was almost strange enough to be an uncomfortable reading experience. It was, however, a good reminder that so much of what we consider normal can change.

Whooo boy, buckle up friends! I have a lot to say here- some of it good, some of it not.

The Majority of the Book:

Okay, so I was.... fine with most of this book. It wasn't blowing my mind, but I was intrigued. I will tell you my feelings on the positives and negatives for like, 90% of the book first.

THE GOOD:

Well, the concept was certainly fascinating, right? I liked the commentary, and it was certainly thought provoking with its discussions of what makes a family, society's viewpoints on sex, reproduction, families, etc., and the bizarre obsessions with fictional characters. Really, even though Amane wasn't the most provocative character ever, the world and the story itself were enough to keep me turning the pages. I mean, it is weird, but for most of the story, it is weird in a way that is readable and coherent. And I felt like the story picked up in the second half, and I was quite eager to see what would happen.

THE LESS GOOD:

Our main character, Amane, is just... look, she seems only focused on sex and romance. Some of it fictional, some of it real. I assume there is supposed to be a point of commentary there, that even though everyone claims to think sexuality is useless, they're still obsessing over it. Which is fine, I get that, but girl needed a hobby or something, because she is incredibly one-dimensional. Everything about her is so stunted, and maybe that is purposeful, maybe it isn't, but it makes it hard to really understand who she is, I guess.

I also had a hard time understanding her motivations. Without being spoilery, imagine a character spends an entire book saying "wow I hate Disney" and then just randomly decides to spend their life savings on a 2 month guided Mickey Mouse extravaganza. The motivation isn't there, and it is confusing at best.

The Ending:

Whew, this was bad. I don't even want to type what happened under spoiler tags, so let's just say that unless you are a monster, this is upsetting. I have read some reviews saying that it was "making a point", but I personally don't see it. For me, it felt like shock value to be shocking, and there were many other less traumatic ways to convey these things. I honestly just don't even understand how more than one person was like "yep THIS is how you end a book!". (And friends, please recall, I am in no way a pearl-clutcher, and love me some messed up stuff. This was way over the line, even for me.) I get the intent, but there were ways to do this that wouldn't legitimately traumatize folks.

Bottom Line: It was a 3 or 3.5 until the end sent it off the rails and into "hard nope" territory. I can't rate it higher because it feels irresponsible to do so, frankly.

3.5

it’s not a sayaka murata novel until you’re staring at the wall going “wtf just happened???”

this quick little novel is exactly what you want and need from murata: bizarre, absurd, disgusting at times, with underlying criticism of modern society.

set in a world where sex is weird (especially between—*gasp*—a married couple) and babies are exclusively created through artificial insemination. weird fucking premise. but i was strangely invested. i don’t want to give too much away as i think you should go into murata’s work relatively blind, but if you’re into a weird old time then you will for sure love this.

(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!)

Sayaka Murata can do no wrong — this is an amazing study on the societal norms around love, relationships and family

First published in 2015 in Japanese, Vanishing World appears for the first time in English ten years later, and it still feels cutting-edge. The book centres around Amane, who lives in a future in which people don't really have sex anymore, either to procreate or for their enjoyment —it's viewed as an old-fashioned and unhygienic practice. A married couple sees each other as family, like a sibling, for example, so it's unthinkable to have sexual relations with them, if someone were to have any still, as insemination is the standard way to procreate. Amane, however, has always known she's different, starting with the way she was conceived — through sexual relations between her mother and father — but also with her persistent curiosity about copulation. She has always held a more old-fashioned mindset when it comes to these matters, even if it feels uncomfortable in relation to the societal norms of her time.

Vanishing World pushes the boundaries over and over again of how we think about family, love and whether there could be other ways of thinking about these ideas.

This one definitely sits closer to Earthlings in the Sayaka Murata spectrum, so be prepared to be challenged in a big way. That said, it's an incredibly eye-opening exploration of topics which are sold to us as natural and innate — but which are, in fact, socially constructed and, as Sayaka Murata aims to show us with this book, could be undone and reinvented. I will say I was quite surprised by the ending; I suspect it will divide a lot of readers. I am still not quite sure how I feel about it myself.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I'll read anything Sayaka Murata writes. I am a huge fan of her work and how she continues to challenge what our society deems as "normal", implicit norms that perhaps we don't even realise are there until she points it out.

Huge thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

In Vanishing World, Sayaka Murata once again delivers a daring, uncanny vision of society pushed to its most surreal extremes. Set in an alternate Japan where sex between married couples is taboo and procreation is purely clinical, Murata’s latest explores the collision between biology, desire, and the pursuit of social “purity.”

We follow Amane, a woman grappling with the shame of having been born through natural conception—an act now considered primitive, even perverse. Her journey through a sterile marriage and into the communal, cult-like Experiment City (aka Paradise-Eden) is unsettling and strangely hypnotic, marked by Murata’s signature deadpan tone and surgical dissection of societal norms.

As always, Murata’s strength lies in her ability to make the bizarre feel chillingly plausible. The book probes deeply uncomfortable questions: What is “natural”? What are the costs of erasing individuality and physical intimacy in the name of progress? And can you ever truly cleanse yourself of being human?

Equal parts dystopia, satire, and philosophical provocation, Vanishing World is as disturbing as it is enthralling—a brave, brilliant addition to Murata’s ongoing exploration of alienation in modern life. Dazzlingly strange and deeply thought-provoking, Vanishing World is another bold triumph from one of contemporary fiction’s most fearless voices.

Taboo…bizarre…thought-provoking…and I expected nothing less! Vanishing World is a perfectly strange read that demands your attention from the start and provides immense discomfort throughout. I highly recommend this speculative tale, there are parts that go off the rails a bit but we do expect that with Murata’s work.

4/5 Stars
This book felt uncomfortable in the best way. As always, Sayaka Murata managed to disturbe and fascinate me at the same time. There were so many conversations in this book that got me thinking and quite frankly changed my perspective on some things. It was one of those books that I finished and then had to just stare at a wall and mull over my thoughts for a while. It did feel a bit lengthy in the middle, but apart from that it was really, really good.

I was looking forward to reading Vanishing World after finding Convenience Store Woman by the same author very relatable but unfortunately this was not the book for me.
Vanishing World explored the idea of an alternative universe where physical sexual relations were considered taboo and unconventional. This was a world where IVF was the norm and the idea of "love" did not exist as couples were often married for convenience of the relationship and friendship rather than personal connections.
I found the concept to be very unique which urged me to continue reading. but it had its holes. Ie: if sexual intercourse had been "weeded" out over time as being shameful or undesirable, what happened to the physical/ sensual pleasure of the act itself - surely this itch would make intercourse a desirable act alone... I was able to overlook these obvious holes for sake of finishing the novel but I accumulated a mental list of holes/ questions/ "buts" as I read on.
What really threw me off and what basically forced me to give this novel a lowly 1-star was the entirely unnecessary ending. It was genuinely disgusting and I'm not sure why this was approved to be published as it could be classified as borderline child abuse/ pedophilia. I was thoroughly repulsed.

You know when a new Sayaka Murata book comes out, it is going to be unique and probably quite weird, which Vanishing World delivers on. In a world in the future children are born almost exclusively through artificial insemination. When men were sent off to war to fight, research ramped up into the technique and now it is the expectation. "We are more advanced creatures now." Sex between husband and wife is seen as incest. The protagonist is a woman who is a byproduct of actual sex and is seen as an anomaly. She and her husband move to an experimental city where children are raised by the collective population. All women are called mother and the city is experimenting with artificial wombs on men so everyone can carry a child. A select number of people are chosen to be inseminated every December 24th. While the premise of the book is an interesting one, it gets even weirder as the book continues and the narrator and her husband fall under the influence of the city they move to. Her mother still feels that her daughter was conceived in a natural way that should not be shamed. She says to her "the world you first see when you're born will never vanish from your soul, however much you're infected by the present world." Another interesting plot devised by Murata and I continue to look forward to reading their works.

Thank you to Grove Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata had a fascinating premise and explored some really compelling themes, especially around identity, societal expectations, and what it means to exist outside the norm. While I appreciated the originality and thought-provoking concepts, the story didn’t quite land emotionally for me. I found myself intrigued, but never fully connected. That said, I know this will resonate more deeply with other readers—especially fans of Murata’s unique and often unsettling style. Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!

Book Review: Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata
"Both my husband and I had ingested too much of this world, and we had become normal people here. Normality is the creepiest madness there is. This was all insane, yet it was so right."

Sayaka Murata’s Vanishing World is a chilling and deeply unsettling exploration of how societal ideologies, once entrenched, can erase even the most fundamental aspects of what it means to be human. Set in a dystopian future where traditional concepts of love, family, and reproduction have been not just redefined but demonized, Murata forces readers to confront the terrifying ease with which the abnormal can become the new normal.

In this future world, intimacy between married couples is criminalized and viewed as incestuous. Biological reproduction is considered primitive and animalistic, a shameful relic of humanity's uncivilized past. Children are no longer born through natural means, but only through artificial insemination—and they are not raised by parents, but by the public. “Everyone is their mother,” we are told, as the very ideas of maternal care and familial love are stripped of meaning and emotion. The state, in an eerie echo of Orwellian control, has rewritten history books to portray past human intimacy as grotesque and barbaric: “when humans were still animals and had...” becomes a recurring phrase, meant to dehumanize and erase the biological reality of human relationships.

At the center of this disturbing world is Amane, a young woman navigating a society that has erased the idea of private love and personal parenthood. The only person who holds onto the "old" ways is Amane's mother, a character who is ridiculed, marginalized, and considered mentally unstable simply for believing in what once was a universal truth: that family, intimacy, and love are core to human experience. Her resistance is not just emotional—it’s revolutionary. But the power of ideology is relentless.

Murata masterfully depicts how indoctrination seeps in—not through force, but through normalization. The novel’s most horrifying power lies in its subtlety. What begins as shocking slowly morphs into something eerily palatable. Amane, who once recoiled at this new world, begins to absorb it, reshape herself, and surrender her inner truths. As she confesses:
“This was such a strange sight, I thought, but part of me also somehow felt that this was how things had always been... And I was transforming into a person who took the shape of this world.”

By the end, the world that once disturbed Amane becomes her new reality. She loses herself and her humanity. She becomes a monster devoid of emotions and feelings. Her transformation is complete. The "vanishing world, hence," indicates the ideological erasure of not just biological families and intimate love, it is also the vanishing of memory, resistance, humanity, and self.

Vanishing World is not just dystopian fiction. It's a psychological horror, a warning, and a profound meditation on what happens when society decides that our reality is no longer valid, and instead replaces it with a carefully constructed illusion designed to erase instinct, emotion, and individuality.