"My husband liked listening to me talk about my love life, and he seemed to want me to fall in love again. He was a bit like a little sister in that respect."

Vanishing World imagines a world where married couples are the same kind of family as blood relations, insemination is done only artificially, and sex is slowly becoming extinct. Amane is a strange person, insofar as she was actually made "the old-fashioned way", making her a rare specimen amongst her peers. Love is also a big topic in this novel, and according to this world, one is supposed to love their spouse the same way one loves a sibling or a parent. However, romantic infatuation isn't completely gone, and many of the characters in this book do have girlfriends or boyfriends - sometimes real, sometimes fictional.

The way this book describes parasocial relationships is intriguing and I think there is huge conversation there that we aren't really having. In the age of social networks, many people become enamored or obsessed with celebrities or fictional characters, to the point where it severely impacts their everyday lives. Unfortunately, Vanishing World didn't explore this topic as much as I would have liked.

The way Sayaka Murata imagined Experiment City, a place where all children are Kodomo-chans and all adults are Mother, was quite interesting and well done. I also enjoyed the concept of external wombs for men. The whole idea teeters on the edge between fantastical and disturbing, and it's fun to speculate on how that would work while having some comfort in knowing it (probably) won't ever happen in real life.

Overall, for me, this novel was somewhere in the general vicinity of Earthlings, although more milquetoast. For such a taboo topic, I'd expect some significant visceral reactions, but there weren't any.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC.

"How had Adam and Eve spent their first night after leaving paradise?"

This is the second of Murata's books that I've read (the other being Convenience Store Woman), and it's definitely the weirdest. This is a book that is utterly preoccupied with sex and family, and the language and values that surround it. It's a dystopia, there's no doubt about that, but with hints and whispers of a better world in which change is embraced.

I really enjoyed the use of language in this book, twisting words we already know to have strange and uncanny meanings. This does at times make the book a little bit confusing, but once you get into the swing of things, it becomes really effective.

However, this book generally felt quite shallow. Every conversation the characters had, and every scene, was about sex, family or babies. I had no idea of what life looked like for these characters outside of these key issues.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book, and it was a very quick, breezy read, but I don't think I'll reach for Murata again any time soon.

(I was given a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Vanishing World.

First, great cover! It's eye-catching and creepy in a way the premise is.

I've read the Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings so I knew the author had something really unique and imaginative up her sleeve for readers.

I'm not sure how to describe the narrative or the theme.

It's hard to explain. You have to read it for yourself.

Not everyone will like it; I think some readers will find it too bizarre for their tastes, too icky or creepy, or too close to comfort.

I have to say it's a dystopian or utopian world (depending on your perspective) the author has created where people no longer have sex and children are born via IVF, which is now incredibly easy and successful for most women.

Amane, the main character, was born via the old school way (S-E-X) and the knowledge both terrifies and fascinates her in equal measure.

As she navigates teenhood and adulthood, getting married and envisioning a family of her own, she must come to terms with this new world order and where she fits in.

Amane makes pointed comments that hit really close to home; such as how idolizing pop idols and actors are a safe way for young people to channel their romantic feelings.

It made me think of the fandom surrounding K-pop idols like BTS.

The new community Amane and her husband relocate to made me think of cults but at the same time reminded me of how hard it is to raise a child in a community. It really does take a village.

You may have the help of a spouse or partner but you also need your family, friends and a support network and many people do not have the luxury of such resources.

The narrative made me reflect on marriage and what it means to have a family and relationships especially as our modern world rapidly evolves.

The author has unwittingly (or wittingly) hit upon rising trends in society; how infertility and the choice to remain childless for younger generations will impact the future of humanity; how more people are choosing to remain single or adopt, and raise a family with friends, not partners or spouses.

Some of Amane's observations and reflections made me laugh out loud but I'm still not sure if it was because her thoughts were so outlandish or because they hit so close to how I feel about the subjects she was ruminating on.

Vanishing World isn't for everyone; some people might even find it offensive.

But this is a must read for fans of the author or a reader who wants to read something...different.

Sayaka Murata introduces us to a world where any kind of sexual endeavors are forbidden. This was such an unsettling story and I still couldn't put it down. It really makes you reflect on current issues regarding declining birth rates and society filled with lonely, isolated people. It's not an easy read by any means but I'd still recommend it to someone who's open-minded enough to read between the lines. The story is very bizarre with a pretty unique premise which excites me as someone who often gets overwhelmed by the oversaturated market. The book left me shocked and speechless and reflecting on the current world situation and that's all I really wanted. To sum it up, Sayaka Murata did it again!

I’m not sure if I enjoyed the book or not. If it were any longer I wouldn’t have continued. At times I was intrigued and highly uncomfortable and I love books that make me feel things no matter what way. Other times, I was utterly bored. The dialogue wasn’t close to being realistic, but at times I wondered if it was supposed to be that way because it was so strange and added to the discomfort. It was like watching an over directed twilight zone episode with bad acting.
I don’t know if this was because it was an early copy so I didn’t count it against the book, but the dialogue was confusing at times. It was difficult to know who was talking.

Looking for something truly unique? Sayaka Murata’s latest novel, Vanishing World, is bonkers on a biscuit! It’s a dystopian story about an alternative future Japan, where the ideals of love, marriage, and intimacy have all radically changed. The story follows a woman in a sexless marriage, because sexual relations between married couples are forbidden. Instead, society encourages couples to seek affection from outside their unions and in all types of wacky ways.

It’s definitely a bizarre read, but honestly, did we really expect anything less from Murata? The book introduces a some strange but fascinating concepts and I found it refreshingly different and a lot of fun. I recommend it to anyone open to exploring an abstract story without judgment, and of course, to all the currently devoted fans of Sayaka Murata.

Vanishing World publishes on April 15th. Thanks to NetGalley & @Groveatlantic for the digital arc. I'm a huge fan of all of Murata's one-of-a-kind, imaginative worlds.

Sayaka Murata’s, Vanishing World, explores so many social topics in one dystopian world where sexuality and romantic connection are a thing of an archaic past.
The meaning of romantic connection, nuclear family, and child-bearing were all brought into question and this story was equal parts eerie and intriguing. I do feel like much of the dialogue was somewhat repetitive and focused on the mundane that could’ve been better used world building.
And of course, the ending… I understand the concept; society evolves and to remain insistent on the past is insanity / suppressing innate human nature can lead to harmful behaviors. The ending was so disturbing and unnecessary; though, that I feel the intended “shock value” just overpowered the whole message.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC; this book publishes April 15th, 2025.
This review is posted on Goodreads, Fable, and StoryGraph.

Welcome to a society where people have gone with artificial insemination and are eliminating the need for any and all sexual reproduction all while creating a social taboo against sexual intercourse. However our main character Amane is longing for the old days. She learns quickly though how hard it is to go against society and social norms. The people around her are unhinged and adding to her feelings. She goes though moments of denial, bargaining, and anger. I enjoyed following Amane though childhood to adulthood and being there with her to experience different feelings. You see her battle with her responses to desire, love, and family.

This felt like the feral baby of Murata's previous books Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings. I can see parts of each in this one, not in plot but in tone, character voice, and questioning of social customs/norms.

I enjoy Murata's questioning look at society, and in this she questions family, sex, pleasure, parenting, adoption, etc, - poking holes in how society and relationships are currently structured, asking why things are the way they are, and introducing different structural ideas and norms for society.

While this one was still enjoyable and thought-provoking, it felt a bit repetitive and the social norms felt overly explained. I wanted more character voice here and less explanation.

3.75, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy

"Normality is the creepiest madness there is."

What a weird, weird book (affectionate). Vanishing World, for better or worse, is probably the least subtle in Sayaka Murata's social critiques. Aside from an incredibly uncomfy ending (but I expected that going in), I was engaged the entire time.

"We humans were always changing. Whichever world we were brainwashed by, we didn't have the right to judge others based on the ideas we had been inculcated with."

Thank you to Netgalley & Grove Atlantic for this digital copy of Vanishing World.

read cw

This was a weird book, maybe a bit too weird for me, specially the ending.

I shuddered reading the very end of it and in all the bad ways and almost put the book down in disgust. Maybe that was the intended consequence of reading this? I have no idea of knowing.

While I completely get the socio-political commentary in this, I never connected with Amane. Maybe it was the writing style: there is a lot of repetition, sometimes so much that I felt like I accidentally clicked back on my Kindle without noticing. I want to put that to the state of Amane's mind, which would track, but it was just annoying and tedious.

The world they live in, this dystopian and completely crazy world to me, without procreation in the way we know off, with thinking sex between man and woman is now incest, with no sexual intercourse as it's not natural anymore, with families losing their meaning and babies are artificial (and eerily alike - that was uber creepy, no thank you, EVER) - it just isn't a world I liked being in.

In the end the book did get me thinking about it which is a good thing, it's just that I did not quite enjoy the journey of reading it.

Small note - I know this wasn't a proofed ARC, however, it was really difficult to read certain parts not knowing who said what. I hope this gets fixed in the published version.

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata is a uniquely unsettling novel that weaves her signature sharp critique of societal norms into a narrative like no other.

Set in an alternate version of Japan (or perhaps the world), the story introduces a society where conception through intercourse is considered taboo and even viewed as 'incest' among married couples. Instead, marriage is centered on companionship, while love and sexual desires are explored with external partners or, at times, fictional characters. There is also an ‘experimental city’ where all children born belong to everyone and every adult is referred to as ‘Mothers’ and things just get truly bizarre from there.

Murata’s exploration of human relationships and the concept of 'change' is both unsettling and profoundly insightful. As with her previous works, she navigates these themes with a delicate yet razor-sharp touch, demonstrating her mastery in delving into the complexities of modern life. Yet, the final few pages of this book are deeply, deeply disturbing and has me truly unsure how to rate this novel.

VANISHING WORLD - SAYAKA MURATA

This is a tricky review to write. I enjoy speculative fiction and I've loved other works by Sayaka Murata, such as Convenience Store Woman, but I think Vanishing World is a far more divisive work. I should start by saying that this book isn't for everyone.

Set in an alternate version of Japan, where babies are only created via artificial insemination, sex and romantic love have become rare and, in marriage especially, off-limits. The main character, Amane, struggles to find her place in this world. Eventually, she and her husband move to Experiment City, where all children are referred to as 'Komodo-chan' and all adults have a role in providing affection towards them but do not provide primary care. Instead, children are raised communally.

I enjoyed aspects of this story, which has been penned as a response to Japan's falling birth rates and the increasing rejection of traditional women's roles, including homemaker or parent. The story is odd and eccentric at times (as should be expected of Sayaka Murata) and the writing is sparse and clinical. Amane is an interesting character, where you're not sure whether you're rooting for her or not as she navigates her world and societal expectations.

However, my biggest issue with the book has to be its ending. I found it deeply disturbing, as it goes into excruciating detail of an event that would be universally deemed as wrong, inappropriate, shocking and outrageous. I felt weirdly betrayed by the ending, which may be the point, but I can't help but wonder if the same effect could've been achieved through other means. Please check the trigger warnings before picking up this book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Release date: 15 April 2025

Review score: 3/5

Trigger warnings: s*x with a minor, s*xual content, r*pe, body horror, miscarriage

As always, Sayaka Murata delivers on another unhinged story that challenges social norms, "rules", and expectations. This time with a much more prominent focus on sex and the traditional family unit, Sayaka Murata does an incredible job creating a world that feels dystopian yet upon further reflection, is scarily similar to our own. The book is split into three parts and I feel the first two parts were written to set us up conceptually for Part 3, which is where things really take off. Watching our main character lose her direction and sense of self was really a wake-up call to the way society works, and although the ending was a bit too taboo/grotesque for my liking, I thought the meat of the novel was still really fascinating and thought-provoking.

I enjoy Sayaka Murata's books because they always have interesting storylines. This one was no different. However, as this was an ARC, I noticed that the editing was a little unfinished, and the story felt very choppy at times. I'd be interested to see if the final translations and printed copy filled in some of the time jumps and gaps that left me with questions. Also, while the whole story is dystopian, the end was disturbing and not in a way that was written well. I'll have to get a hard copy of this book to determine if I feel differently after rereading it.

I loved this book a lot! Sayaka Murata is an author I’ve been wanting to read for a while, so I’m glad I was able to reas this book. This book was very insightful yet very absurd, I found myself laughing and then my mood would switch immediately the next page. Sayaka’s perspective on social norms, family, and relationships were very eye opening. I love it when books have an outlandish plot that have heavy underlying themes. And that ending!! I thought it couldn’t get any more wild until I got to the last few pages! I’m very happy I enjoyed this book and will definitely check out Sayaka’s other works!

I wasn't sure how Sayaka Murata would ever top the glorious wild chaos of EARTHLINGS but she has done it. The oddness of the main character's narrative voice here reminded me of Earthlings and to a lesser extent of Convenience Store Woman, as well, but also, different--the way a favorite author can sound familiar and new both at once. It hit this mark perfectly. I like Vanishing World better and felt it was a more outstanding book than the previous two translated works because in addition to being absurd and remarkable and surprising it also made me think about the absurdity of the nuclear family, of the supremacy we afford a setup that hasn't changed much since the Middle Ages, and how absurd it is that we slot ourselves into these roles of parent and child and live apart from all other influences in our own little orbit of humanity...Vanishing World, however absurd, gave me a new perspective on things I hadn't thought about in a considered way before now.

Sayaka Murata’s writing is always guaranteed to be unsettling, a little stressful, and challenging to societal norms. In Vanishing World, she pulls the readers into a world where artificial insemination is the norm and the meaning of family is constantly evolving. I’ve really enjoyed some of her other stories and while I wouldn’t say I necessarily enjoyed this one, it did keep me engaged and has me thinking over what we consider normal in society. Overall I wouldn’t say this is my favorite of her books, but if her goal is to get the reader thinking, that’s really successful. This one was borderline too unsettling for me but it definitely will stick with me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

In Vanishing World, Sayaka Murata explores sex, love, and family in a world in which artificial insemination has become the norm.

I liked discovering this world, where "normal" has become so much more different : very few people are having sex, being in love with fictional characters is widespread, and sleeping with your husband is incest. I don't really know where our protagonist, Amane, fits in in all of this : in some aspects she's considered abnormal (like sleeping with her lovers) but in others she likes to conform (very much so in the last part of the novel). It wasn't really clear how she's supposed to fit (or not fit) in this society.

Then we get to the really weird part of the novel with Experiment City, where people (men and women) are randomly selected to get inseminated and their offspring are raised collectively. I loved the uncanniness of this section, you can trust Murata to with her weird and unusual stuff that's for sure.
Also, just like my experience with her other novel Earthlings, the ending really left me there like : what did I just read ? How do I feel about it ? No idea, but it was certainly something (though the thing with her mother kinda came from left field, I feel it could have been left out).

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with an ARC.

This was a wild ride! And I loved every second of it. The craziness and absurdity of the plot made it feel humorous at times and then Sayaka Murata comes along with criticism of societal norms and changes. It was just really good. And the writing style was lovely to read.