Book No. 34 of 2021
Congratulations to Sayaka Murata for writing the most disturbing book I’ve read all year—a lot of my recent reads have been so violent, disturbing, and graphic that I started wondering if my ability to calmly read them unaffected meant I had irreparably damaged my psyche, but the physiological numbness and nausea I felt at this book reminded me that I am still capable of feeling (which ironically parallels this protagonist’s journey).
With that out of the way, Earthlings deftly captures the feeling of alienation from societal norms as well as the specific non-feeling of experiencing a very traumatizing event. The way in which Murata’s protagonist interprets dissociation and *whatever it’s called when your perception goes monochromatic* through the lens of her adaptive understanding is nothing short of masterful. I found myself relating to and empathizing with her deeply even as things went totally off the rails. The failure of so many adults to see and support a child in crisis is also so infuriating and horribly realistic.
The sheer absurdity of this book, reflected in its extremely dry and detached writing, lends itself to a very specific style of humor that I found myself enjoying even amid the shock.
I’ll put a content warning at the end of this, after the row of spaceships, in case you want to avoid spoilers.
Similar Reads
This is super reminiscent of Murata’s other book, Convenience Store Woman, with the same thematic elements ramped up.
I also found myself thinking of Cho Nam-Joo’s Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 for depicting infuriating gaps of societal/familial support.
The ironic/absurd/surreal quality of the writing reminded me of Élif Batuman’s The Idiot and Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
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SPOILERS BELOW
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I generally don’t put warnings on the books I review but feel it’s helpful here: this book depicts sexual abuse of a child and acts of cannibalism, in addition to violence in general. It is very well written and a short read (clocks in at about an hour) and bracing yourself for what’s coming probably makes the reading experience a little easier to stomach.