‘Earthlings’ — Sayaka Murata
A Counter Arts Book Club review
Oh My Goodness — WHAT did I just read?
In 2016, Japanese author Sayaka Murata’s English-debut novel ‘Convenience Store Woman’ (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori) was a runaway success, bringing us a quirky story of one woman’s existence among the pressures and expectations of work, culture and society.
Two years later, in 2018, Ginny Tapley Takemori had also translated ‘Earthlings’, which in a lot of ways is similar in theme — but in execution it is so much more.
At this point I should perhaps offer a content warning…. there’s so much in this novel to warn you about though, I’ll probably just condense it all to this:
If there is ANYTHING you feel might be offensive to you, or any theme/scenario which might trigger PTSD/cPTSD, or other mental health issues you are living with, please, STOP reading here — and carefully consider, if in doubt DO NOT pick up this book.
‘Earthlings’ is an unusual novel, it can be disturbing, increasingly so, with a whole lot to be wary of packed into such a slim volume. Starting out rather cute (kawaii) in tone, we meet our main character Natsuki as a child who believes in magic, carries a secret origami wand and also a small soft toy hedgehog she calls…
