Oct 13

Oct 13 Earthlings - Sayaka Murata

Survive, whatever it takes.

When I read the synopsis for Earthlings, I really thought I would be reading a quirky, possibly whimsical book. Boy was I incredibly wrong. Earthlings is quirky, yes, but it’s also a bit dark and deals with subject matters I was not prepared for.

In the book, Natsuki and her cousin Yuu believe they are aliens from the planet Popinpobopia. They make arrangements to survive to avoid becoming part of the “Factory,” which is their word for normal society. It isn’t until certain things are revealed about them that I realized that the cousins were trying to cope with their very real childhood traumas (sexual assault, verbal and physical abuse). At times, it was very hard to read this novel and I outright cried at one particular scene. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish, but as I kept reading, it became much clearer what the author was doing.

She was creating a world and a planet that would take Natsuki and Yuu (and eventually Natsuki’s husband, Tomoya) away from their past selves, away from the lives that shaped them. My heart broke into pieces for Natsuki because her trauma was almost unbearable. All three of the characters were broken and controlled to no end by their families, which had me seething. Natsuki’s sister Kise deserves a special kind of Hell because she is incredibly spoiled and cruel. Let’s just say that I had MANY choice words for that character. By the time I got to the end of the book, I was shocked by the actions taken, but not by the fact that something eventually was done. The weird catharsis for these characters may not be conventional or even sane compared to what the rest of us would do, but in Murata’s world, it is expected and in some ways, justified.

Earthlings is out now.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Indiebound Amazon