Earthlings

An astonishing novel by one of Japans unconvential and offbeat-minds in the modern litrature! The outrageous, grotesque and weird plot will leave you speechless. I loved reading this book!

Earthlings is a truly unique reading experience. After Convenience Store Woman, this is the second book I’ve read by Sayaka Murata, and once again I’m absolutely flabbergasted by her intense, bizarre, and gripping writing style. We follow Natsuki from her childhood to her adulthood, where she experiences loneliness and trauma both at home and at her cram school (a trigger warning would definitely be helpful here!). In these moments, she always turns to Piyyut, her stuffed hedgehog, for comfort. Piyyut is her safe place, her escape from a painful reality. Natsuki believes he comes from another world and grants her magical powers to help her in difficult situations, which, as we later learn, is a coping mechanism for everything she’s been through. The book is sad, disturbing, funny, and somehow beautiful all at once. I never knew what to expect next, and the ending left me completely shocked and overwhelmed. An unusual, intense novel that truly stays with you