Safe to say i've never read a book like that in my life, I don't think there's anything else out there that's as niche as this. It was like watching a horror film, I didn't want to look but kept peeping through my fingers.

I'm all for books based on an alternative reality and I enjoy the creativity. I'm also not naive to the fact that this wild stuff could be a reality in the distant future but the dialect felt quite juvenile to me. It was all sort of "I can't believe our parents used to copulate (i.e., have sex to make babies as opposed to artificial insemination)", "I know right it's so gross", "yeah I agree why would they do that".

"Amane's family is irregular. Her parents copulated to create her and hope that she too will find love and have a child with the person she marries. But Amane falls in line with society's way of thinking and wants a regular 'clean' marriage. Then she hears of a place that is the subject of a social experiment. Everyone in Paradise-Eden will act as one big family. Could this be the perfect third way?"

To be fair I couldn't stop reading, the absurdity of it drew me in. Characters also seemed to fall in love with and copulate with amane characters which boggled my brain. I kept having to hide the pages on the bus.

Initial Reaction: It made me uncomfortable and I'm not sure what to think of it.

I received a galley of this book from NetGalley without charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Summary:

This story is set in the near future in a Japan that has changed the way it views sex, reproduction, and family structures. During World War 2, Japan took the sperrm from their soldiers to artifically inseminate Japanese women. Over the years, artificial insemination has been the norm and sexual and non-sexual norms have changed drastically.

We follow Amane who is between our current world and the new world with her feelings towards sex and family structures. She is trying to find her place and how she wants to live in the world.

Review:

It's been a couple of days since I finished reading this book, and I'm not really sure what to think about it. I found it an interesting but not enjoyable experience to read.

This book made me uncomfortable at different points and in different ways, but I do think this was intentional.

It's an interesting thought experiment and it followed through well. It was focused on Amane's experience and it was interesting to see an individual's perspective in a strange and still-changing world. In theory, I could see the world Murata created as believable, particularly in Japan where feelings around sex and relationships are changing.

However, I don't think it would be as utopian as it was portrayed at times - as those were some of the creepiest parts of an already creepy book.

Because the story is short, I can't go into much detail without giving spoilers, but there was a lot of uncanny valley situations.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in speculative fiction as it was intriguing to see it go as far as it does. An important point to note is that there is a lot of mention and description about sex, including underage sex. There isn't any lust involved and it all feels very textbook (a textbook is even referenced on one occasion), but it is a large focus of this book.

what a wild ride ‘vanishing world’ is. so UNHINGED in ways that only sayaka murata can do because what is thiisss oh my God lol how did i get here how did we get here!!!

the story is set in an imaginative version of Japan where marriage, sex, parenthood, family system, are completely redefined by science in ways that are extremely, ferociously, different.

one thing about this world is when people get married, it is so they can become a family, like brothers and sisters. to have sex between marriage couples is considered something disgusting, incest, even. you heard me. to fulfill this need if they want to, they have lovers. human lovers or fictional lovers. but also this is a world when sex is barely needed at all, so even lovers no longer feel the need for copulation (i hope i am saying it right)

all children are born through insemination. when two people get married and become a family, if a child is in the plan they can schedule the insemination with their partner.

there is also this city called ‘experiment city’ or ‘paradise-eden’ where the science is more advanced and experiments in creating an ideal society goes even further. children are raised communally, everyone is Mothers. basically taking the ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ LITERALLY and leveled it up. oh, they also have men becoming pregnant using artificial wombs.

i know. I KNOWWWWWW. alright i need a moment thinking about this book makes me feel so scattered

sayaka murate uses Amane as the voice of the story, a young woman who, eventhough follows everything deemed appropriate still feels the ancient needs to have copulation and this feeling that at some point this all will fall apart. while the book is called a dystopian book, the sentiment delivered is this is an utopia, something so ideal and perfect that diminishes everything that is lacking in the previous world, a world that is vanishing. in this world, we did everything right with the children.

(but did we? DID WE?)

this book challenges every notion possible in today’s society—gender, family, womanhood, marriage, parenthood, sex, social isolation—and build something absolutely bizarre and, not gonna lie, a bit creepy and outright shocking, out of it. sayaka murata does not shy away in making the boldest descriptions possible that made me want to close my eyes and nudge any person beside me (i read it mostly in commute) to read it for me so i dont have to read the words (things are way more visual to me when i read them in words than if i listen to them) PLEASE i still want to know what is happening T__T

but it’s so great. by the end i felt like this book is something that should be out there, out in the wild, as wild as what it contains. and it will be out there for everyone on april 2025! thank you Grove Atlantic for the ARC, what a mind-boggling experience this book is.

Another Japanese publication that is being published in English for the first time. I read Earthlings years ago and was captivated by how strange and compelling the storyline was. This was along those same lines. The concept is so unsettling because it's very aligned with the state of interpersonal relationships in Japan, and where things are inevitably headed. Murata is always known for daring to imagine the unimaginable. But this is what makes her work so compelling!

Firstly, I'd like to thank @groveatlantic, @netgalley and @sayaka_murata_ for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I tried to write a summary of this book but, honestly, it's so strange that I struggled to describe it :") what I will say, though, is that I lapped it up. I read it all in one afternoon!

I have read a few of Murata's other books - namely Life Ceremony, Earthlings, and Convenience Store Woman - and I found them both absurd, yet also insanely clever in their portrayal of how strange human life is. This book was no different. It really made me think.

As with Murata's other books, the characters aren't particularly likeable - they're generally abnormal, even within their society - but, somehow, I still find myself endeared to them. Amane, her friends, her lovers, and her partners, all had qualities I enjoyed reading about. BUT, the key reason I continue lapping up Murata's work is because they make me think and question e v e r y t h i n g.

Sayaka Murata is on my 'auto-buy authors' list from now until forever. Please, keep writing so I can keep reading!

Vanishing World is released on 24th April so if you love bizarre, enlightening, and utterly fascinating reads...go go go and pre-order this now!

at one point murata muses, through her protagonist amane, that normality is the real danger, which feels fitting with what's happening all around the world with the rise of the far right. in a flipped dystopian world, artificial insemination is now the norm with how babies are brought into the world. because of this, the existence of people who have had sex or have been brought into the world through sex are the minority. yet, the nuclear family prevails with many getting married for the purpose of having a child through artificial insemination while still dating other people on the side. wife and husband are almost sibling like with sex between the two considered incest. told in a way that peals back the influence of the government on this sort of familial structure, i don't want to give away much more than that because it's best to go into this one with as little background as possible to soak in all of murata's social commentary. the only thing i would nitpick is that murata or the translators often repeat the same social commentary/at times even use the same wording which felt like she didn't trust the reader as much, but the build up was worth it in the end.

Love this book! Was very bizarre in the best way possible, and made me reflect on many parts of society such a as what levels of intimacy are expected/acceptable in society, para social relationships with media, and differences in generational values.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I went into this read with familiarity for the author, Sayaka Murata. I greatly enjoyed her first English-translated title "Convenience Store Woman" but found "Earthlings" too distressing and disturbing for my reading preferences. "Vanishing World" is similar to "Earthlings" in its content and shock value, therefore I did not personally enjoy it. In addition, I found the plot unengaging and the prose slightly repetitive. My library system is still likely to purchase at least one copy of this title since we are a large system with a diverse collection that serves many different patrons and Murata's previous titles circulate well.. Although I personally disliked the book, I would sparingly recommend "Vanishing World" to specific readers who are avid fans of dark and unsettling science-fiction.

Set in a sexless society where artificial insemination is the norm, Amane navigates her sexuality and her relationships in a place where views are shifting.

Relationships with anime characters are considered normal, sex between husband and wife is considered incest, men can bear children with artificial wombs. This new 'system' allows us to reconsider gender norms and family dynamics, arguing whether the traditional family system is significant in the raising of children.

This was a crazy novel, but I expected nothing less from Murata. Although many parts had me cringing and disgusted, it did allow me to consider how this system would function if it did exist. The idea of raising nameless children communally in Paradise-Eden where every person is considered a Mother was unnerving and actually terrified me to think about and the ending had me in a total state of shock!

Aside from the repetitiveness of the novel, I really enjoyed the thought-provoking questions and issues raised in the text.

3.5 stars :)

This offers a fascinating concept filled with absurdity and dark, thought-provoking moments. The narrative captures the reader’s attention with its unique premise, but unfortunately, the repetition throughout the story detracts from its impact. The ending, though undeniably weird and uncomfortable, is striking in its originality and leaves a lasting impression.

I have been a big fan of Sayaka Murata books since Convenience Store Woman, and having read Earthlings I had an idea of the kind of book Vanishing World would be like but I did not expect this level of dystopian.
I liked the overall themes discussed in this novel but I don’t think it did as great of a job as her other books. The narrative and story overall felt a little disjointed. It felt like a series of scenes put together into one novel.
What I love about her books is that she has a point of view and a perspective and she really does make you think about things you maybe consider “normal” or just never have too much thought about. Looks at the nuclear family, sexual desire, romantic relationships, gender.

I have adored absolutely every piece of Murata's writing that I have managed to get my hands on. Murata's ability to tackle topics regarding feminism, classism, gender roles, and societal expectations through some of the most fresh and unnerving stories never fails to blow my mind. Vanishing World is yet another wildly uncomfortable and thought provoking book that attacks reproduction and social norms. I truly have nothing negative to say about this book. I think readers who enjoyed Murata's previous works will find Vanishing World to be another success while those who did not will continue to just not get it. And that's okay.

Just finished “Vanishing World” by Sayaka Murata and I didn’t think that any ending could top “Earthlings”, but somehow the author was able to surprise me 😬 I mean If I’m not thinking “what the hell did I just read” while reading one of her books, did I even read it????

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book felt like the craziest fever dream imaginable. For such a short book it had a weird pacing being that what the synopsis describes only happens on the last 30% of the book, so it does feel like it drags a bit

In terms of exploring its themes of love, parasocial relationships, sex, motherhood and family structure I feel like this book tried to do to much and it felt quite superficial on some of the themes. The fact that the story was so mind boggling probably didn't help.

I think this type of Sayaka Murata maybe isn't that big of a winner for me and something like convenience store woman is more. Still this is an interesting read.

Ok, I think this is a big ME problem. I have struggled with Murata's work in the past and I'm not generally a fan of "science fiction" however the premise of this story sounded so fascinating that I couldn't help myself. We have a world where artificial insemination is the norm, a kind of strange dystopian commune-y situation... I don't know, it sounded great and for many others, I think it will be but I had a really difficult time connecting with Amane or the plot at all. What I will say about Murata is that her stories are definitely unique, filled with new and intriguing scenarios, and I find it quite refreshing. So while this story is interesting and written well, I am—apparently—not the audience for it.

I still remain immensely grateful for Grove Atlantic for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

More of an idea than a fleshed out concept. “Weird” books shouldn’t be allowed to be this boring; the social commentary was too literal to be intriguing.

A top contender for my weirdest read of the year and it's only February. This book tackles of lot of topics, namely sex, family, and social norms. This book is definitely more abstract than I was expecting, but not in a bad way. I think it really helps the book since it doesn't go into the specifics of how this future society works. I think one of the most interesting aspects is the feeling of being in the middle of a social transition. The world created in this book seems to be moving forward with the main character's mother clinging to the past and the main character trying to assimilate to the future. The writing of this book definitely won't be for everyone, it's very jarring and almost vulgar at times. I think this is part of the author's intention to challenge the audience, but it will likely make some people uncomfortable. The ending especially is a rough read, I would check trigger warnings if you're worried, but I do think it's meant to be that way. It does not feel gratuitous but does teeter on the edge of shock value for me. That being said the book does drag a little bit around the middle, by this point the protagonist is an adult and has a lot of the same thought processes as her younger self. It did end up feeling a little repetitive. But this really isn't a long book, so it didn't bother me too much. I also enjoyed the critique on celebrity culture. In this dystopia it's more common to fall in love with fictional characters than people, and it feels similar to the current treatment of celebrities especially those in eastern countries. I would recommend reading this with someone else, there are so many things to discuss and dissect with a friend. The book has so many nuances that would be fun to go through together.

A weird, unsettling read Vanishing World is the story of an AU Japan where ideas of the family unit have vastly changed.
I found this story to be a quick read that kept me engaged in that special kind of way that only Sayaka Murata can. I didn't love the ending but as a whole this was an incredibly intriguing read.
For a more indepth review please check out my spoiler free youtube review here:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JCBzhxKXjk&t=310s

In exchange for an honest review, I was given this ARC. Unfortunately, I did not love this book. I’ve read other books by Murata that I enjoyed much more. I found the story to be repetitive and difficult to finish. The concept of the books dystopian setting is one of its only redeeming qualities. It’s not with a light heart that I give this review, it was a disappointing read.

Sayaka Murata writes some of the best and oddest books I've ever read. I highly encourage everyone who likes unusual stories to check out her other books, especially Earthlings. This book didn't disappoint.
Amane is unusual in her society because she is a result of her parents having sex, and all other babies are now created through artificial insemination. This leads to a lot of different changes in relationships, such as a different perception of romance and less of a need for sex. Without giving anything away, Amane goes to extremes while trying to understand her place in the world and what she wants.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.