Having previously read Murata's Convenience Store Woman, I knew that this would be odd. What I wasn't expecting was a whole host of weird, coupled with incest, cannibalism and child abuse.

Honestly, I'm not sure where to start (or indeed finish) with this. The writing is very simplistic, and there's isn't really much of a plot either other than Natsuki trying to cope with her awful childhood by re imagining a world where she has magical powers. We follow Natsuki through childhood, and several life altering events, before moving 20 years into the future and seeing how her life has progressed (or in actual fact how she hasn't changed at all). Her husband has some kind of aversion to the female form, being utterly disgusted by the sight of his wife's legs, as well as an obsession with not giving into the 'Factory' - his idea of the societal norm. Honestly, I just think they all need some therapy.

There's me never visiting a mountainous retreat in Japan. My most resounding emotion when reading this was just...what the hell did I just read? That said, I still wanted to know how this whole bonkers experience was going to end. And it was just as insane as I expected it to be.

This book is utterly bizarre and part of me thoroughly enjoyed just how experimental it was, another part of me winced often at some of the content. For those who want an emotionally charged novel, who aren’t obverse to obversion, then check this out!

The follow up to convenience store woman, this short novel is strange, dark and very unnerving at times. In a way it is very compelling, I really did need to know what had happened Natsuki, but I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed the process.

Split into two halves, the first half of the novel sees 9 year old Natsuki trying to find her way in the world, surrounded by a family who dont understand her, or seem to like her very much. She understandably doesnt trust other adults around her and feels that she doesnt belong in the world she inhabits.

The second half sees an adult Natsuki, in an asexual marriage of convenience, still without a place in the world. She doesn't want to cornfirm tosociety's norms but in an attempt to escape this will go to extreme lengths to escape it.

I understand that this book questions the world we live in, its patriarchal and misogynist ways, but I just wasnt a fan of the confused yet over simplistic writing style. I can see that others would really enjoy it, but it just isn't one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Granta Publications for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings for this book include: paedophilia, sexual abuse, incest, cannibalism, murder.

Sayaka Murata is one of the most incredibly unique writers I've ever had the honour of reading from. Following her book 'Convenience Store Woman' I didn't think they could possibly produce something more incredible, yet here we have 'Earthlings'.

Earthlings is the story of Natsuki, who we see at ages 11 and 34 being pressured to conform with societal norms, whilst dealing with past traumas and abuse, along with her cousin, Yuu, and husband Tomayo who've also suffered. The trio believe themselves to be aliens from the planet Popinpobopia in order to process what they've been through together.

This book was an absolute roller-coaster, I laughed, I was hurt, I found parts incredibly hard to read - yet when it all came together this was so incredible and intense that I just couldn't stop. Sayaka Murata will definitely be an insta-buy author for me from hereon-out.

If you're seeking an intense, hard-hitting but short novel, 'Earthlings' is the one for you.

“Survive, whatever it takes.”

Natsuki doesn’t fit in. Each summer, young Natsuki looks forward to visiting her Granny’s house in the mountains of Akishina with her parents, younger sister and extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. There, she is consumed by a fantasy world where she is a magician and her cousin Yuu is an alien from Popinpopobia, which becomes a place to find solace from the Factory with all its expectations and pressures to work, marry and reproduce. A sick, twisted and brilliant critique of the contemporary treadmill and inspired follow up to Murata’s superlative Convenience Store Woman.

This novel is super odd to say the least! If you’re looking for something a bit different then give this a try.

I loved how unique it was, although I have to say I did find the abuse parts particularly hard to read, more so than other books actually. Something about it hit a nerve for me.

Overall, I enjoyed it but didn’t find myself completely hooked, instead I was able to make my way through it over a couple of days, despite it being a relatively short book.

Ok so, first of all this book is one that needs the trigger warning of all trigger warnings, if you're easily offended, just keep moving. However, it is absolutely worth every single assault of the brain and senses that it throws at you.

I waited about a week after finishing the book to write this review to allow myself to decompress. Quite honestly it left me bereft and speechless. This book is wildly clever and looks at the layers and conformities of Japanese society in the most bizarre and warped way.

Do not let the cute, fluffy and cuddly cover fool you, this book is anything but. Dark, twisted and deeply disturbing this book catapults you through a roller-coaster of emotions including utter disgust and revulsion.

It's weird, wacky and somehow very wonderful. An absolute must read of 2020.

I feel the need to bleach my brain. I wish there was an indication in the blurb about just how vicious the abuse - both sexual and psychological- of the primary school/teenager is. I read on because I felt I needed to know if she was going to be ok, when I know better. Why did I not DNF? I don’t even know that myself.

I read Murata’s novel the Convenience Store Woman back when it had first been released in English, and I absolutely loved its voice and discussion on society and women. I liked how it highlighted the sexism of women in Japanese society, mixed in with the feelings of being an outsider in a society that had rigid rules that must be followed or you will be ostracised, but it was handled in an absurd and often funny style that made it unique. Now Murata has decided to take those same themes and make this a disturbing and vile take that will leave you feeling a bit nauseous.

Yet I really liked it.

I’ve read a few other Japanese authors, and it’s a thing that Japanese literature is often surreal, strange, and culturally saturated. Just read a Haruki Murakami book to understand, so I wasn’t too shocked or surprised with what I was getting into. The only thing that surprised me was the complete difference between Murata’s books, but to me it showed her range, and I was captivated by her writing. She has a clear and straight forward approach that doesn’t muddy the story and helps you focus, which makes reading the content even more unnerving with how direct it is. I’ll leave warnings at the end of the review if you wish to prepare yourself for what the story contains.

I never knew what to expect with the story. The synopsis left me blind sided, but it made the gut punching scenes all the more shocking. We see the world through Natsuki, and you can feel her isolation from the ‘Earthlings’ of the world. Her detached style was analytical, but made some very interesting statements on society and the ‘Factory she is forced to abide and how her desire to not conform to the Factory all the more understandable.

The novel is more of a commentary on social structures. It has a feminine take on the pressure of women in society in regard to wifely duties and double standards, which are harder in Japan. The expectations weighing on Natsuki to conform is suffocating and oppressive, while fearing she would lose herself to the Factory and become a baby maker for their use, but also being pestered by her family unit to give in or stay on outcast. I really related to her struggles and it made more sense how her mental state progresses throughout the narrative.

And while it discusses these issues, there is still a lot to be interpreted, whether the Factory or Natsuki being an alien is real, or whether she uses that idea as a coping mechanism. Because of how suffocating the atmosphere can be, combined with the loss of innocence she experiences that makes her more cynical to the world and it’s structures, it could be a possibility but it’s open to our interpretation. Murata weaves the narrative so carefully that all the pieces come together to create the jaw dropping events that proceed it.

If you’re going into this expecting another Convenience Store Women then you’re going to be getting something entirely different. Murata has proven she can go anywhere with her imagination and I can’t wait to read more of her work. Get read for a weird and shocking novel.



Content warning: child abuse, incest, rape, murder, cannibalism.

All kinds of messed up. I had previously read and really enjoyed Convenience Store Woman, and while this addresses some of the same issues, that of the outsider wanting to fit into a society that they struggle to understand, this one is not really like that book. Not a bad thing, but this one is much more brutal.
Natsuki narrates. We start when she is 11 years old, she suffers emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her family, who don't understand her at all. She accepts at face value that she is a "dead loss" and believes herself a burden. She did also sexually abused by her teacher. The only person who understands her is her cousin Yuu, he's been told by his mum that he's an alien, which he believes. The two disappear into their own world of make believe.
23 years later and Natsuki is in a marriage of convenience to a husband also struggling to fit into society (the factory). Things start to fall apart when pressure builds from family for them to conform to the 'rules'. The two head to the mountains where they meet up with Yuu and try to drop out of 'the 'factory' completely.

Natsuki voice is childish, and matter-of-fact. She describes some shocking things in detail and that voice doesn't change from the 11yr old to the 34 yr old. I found in some ways, this would Dresden the effect of what she was telling you, maybe not a bad thing as in places this a bit of a gore-fest.

*Many Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*

Earthlings definitely wasn't at all what I expected and yet, in a way it was. The book is a thought-provoking social commentary about our - earthlings, society. A lot of dark themes are woven into the story (rape, abuse, cannibalism, murder), so from the get go I want to say that if someone is not okay with reading about things like that, please find another book - this one gets quite intense.
The story revolves around Natsuki, who's different from society's norms and that's a very integral part of the plot. Seeing her life, both the "now" and the "past", the reader is presented with a lot of issues and questions about the meaning of life. I can't say much more without spoiling, but I truly liked how many things were touched on and how well done it was.
The characters were curious, even the ones that I didn't like at all on personal level, and they were really well written. I enjoyed how their personalities and traits evolved throughout the book.
Overall, not a light read, however a very good book in my opinion and one that I do recommend. On the other hand, I definitely don't recommend it to readers under ages 14-16.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Granta Publications for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

Murata’s construction of character is just phenomenal and Natsuki, the protagonist of Earthlings, has been rattling around in my head ever since I finished the novel a few days ago. She’s an unusual person, much like the main character of Murata’s Convenience Store Woman, who has very very extreme views that readers definitely won’t agree with (I hope!) but somehow she still evokes empathy; you can’t help but root for her. If you like weird books (I’m thinking along the lines of Bunny by Mona Awad or The Pisces by Melissa Broder) or if you enjoyed Murata’s first novel then you’ll like this.

This was a strange, fascinating but ultimately repelling book. I very much enjoyed convenience store woman, and this story of a Japanese woman in her thirties had some similarities. She struggles to relate to anyone else due to abuse from her family and travel as a child, and had built herself a circumscribed life that her family don't understand. The description of her childhood was a tough read, but there were also some beautiful descriptions of the Japanese countryside. She enters into a marriage of convenience with a man who enables her retreat into a fantasy world, and events spiral. This was quite a compelling read, but in the end I disliked it. It reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk, with mentally ill people struggling to be part of society.

This is such a puzzling, thought provoking book. I devoured it in two days.

Following Natsuki who endured emotion and sexual abuse from a young age and copes by depersonalisation, we see her navigate life throughout the fringes of society - or The Factory - in her firm belief that she is in fact an alien from the planet Popinpobopia.

What sounds non-nonsensical later develops into a startling allegory for society as a whole, morality, integration, outsider status and much, much more. Rather than casting judgement on any one character's actions, when looked at in the context of our own lives, you cannot help but question: are we too not just part of the factory. Is society the one that is sick?

Gulped up Earthlings by Sayaka Murata. Imagine the strangeness of Han Kang's The Vegetarian, the tension of Sarah Moss and the mournful beauty of Ocean Vuong. Yet it's also like nothing else I've ever read. So much to unpick and digest. What a book.

Loved the authors first book ,could not wait to read this one.This is a gem of a novel a book that drew me in with characters dialogue that shine.Will be recommending and gifting.#netgalley#earthling

I read this based on how much I enjoyed the author's previous novel, Convenience Store Woman, and the very effective Twitter video of readers finishing the book, which intrigued me.

The story follows Natsuki at 11 years old and again at 34 as she experiences terrible traumas and tries to come to terms with them within a culture that prioritises conformity above all else. Natsuki, her cousin Yuu and her husband Tomoya, all of whom have suffered abuse and are failing to handle it, develop a shared universe in which their alienation from the world makes sense and which drives them to increasingly bizarre and terrible behaviours.

Although the novel includes a series of horrific scenes including, child sexual abuse, incest, violence against children and murder, the detached and "alien" perspective of Natsuki means that the true horror is society's attempts to deny, cover up and hide them in order to force all the characters into what Natsuki and Tomayo refer to as The Factory, where they will act as good tools and good reproducers.

Earthlings is a book full of horrors and monstrosities, of which the worst is the real world. and a gripping tale of destroyed lives. At its core, it is thematically similar to Convenience Store Woman, but it goes much further in its exploration of the theme.

Earthlings is a dark novel about what it takes to survive and how to rebel as an outsider in Japanese society, with black comedy and shocking scenes that will likely divide readers. The book opens with eleven-year-old Natsuki, who believes she can do magic thanks to the help of a hedgehog toy from another planet and spends her summers with her cousin Yuu, who believes that he's an alien who will one day find a spaceship and leave Earth. Underneath, the realities of their lives, including mental, physical, and sexual abuse, linger, and the cousins are parted. When Natsuki grows up, she lives in a marriage of convenience, trying to hide her past trauma, but she and her husband seek to escape what they call the Factory, or the regimented society expecting people to become good workers and have children, and to leave this behind, they are reunited with Yuu, to take whatever steps are necessary.

This is a novel about trauma, but not necessarily in a redemptive way: instead, it is a look at surviving trauma and defying societal norms in ways which may seem shocking, horrifying, or ridiculous. Murata uses this to make the book deeply uncomfortable at times, which works well to get across how hard it is for Natsuki to survive and escape in different ways, and this is tempered with a kind of black comedy, particularly around the ways the main characters frame themselves as magical or alien, especially as the novel builds to its conclusion. Particularly the earlier chapters around Natsuki's childhood can be difficult to read due to the abuse she faces and the ways her coping mechanisms and trauma are framed (the later part of the book has more body horror than abuse), so it's definitely a book for people to go into aware of some of the content warnings.

Gripping and horrifying in ways similar to other novels, Earthlings cleverly combines the fantastical with the terrible to explore effects of childhood trauma and the desire to escape from the society you see yourself trapped in. It's not a light read, but it has a feeling of a cult favourite, whilst also looking at the complexity of mental health and survival.

My rating: 2.5/5
If my taste was different, my rating would be: 4/5


I need to say that the author was insanely creative in the world-building. I am dumbfounded and extremely shock. I can't even believe what I had just read! It's a beast! This emoji 🤮 described accurately what I just felt afterward.

Earthlings are not for the weak. Certainly, it's not suitable for younger readers. As it touches about mental illness in a bizarre way that you'll find discomfort and restlessness, perhaps creepy and unrealistic. It also contains plenty of graphical descriptions of immorality that you'll find so distracted and alarming.

It's best for me to describe this book as a heavy read. Not one that you'll pick for fun, at all. Nonetheless, if you find everything that I mentioned above as something not worth mentioned, then give it a read. Perhaps you'll find it a great eye-opening.


Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

The first chapters of this novel introduce us to 11-year old Natsuki. A sensitive girl, she is verbally abused by her mother and older sister, but things get markedly worse when she is sexually exploited by one of her teachers. This paedophiliac abuse is explicitly described in a revoltingly graphic scene which would probably be cut if this book were a movie.

Natsuki has her survival mechanisms. She clings to Piyyut, a toy hedgehog which, she imagines, is an alien from planet Popinpobopia who has come to Earth to give her magical powers. Another source of consolation is her family’s yearly visit to her grandparents’ house in a remote mountain village, where her aunts, uncles and cousins converge for the festival of Obon. Natsuki looks forward to her meetings with her cousin Yuu with whom she shares her woes. Yuu is understanding, as he also has his own problems, including a borderline-abusive relationship with his needy mother. For his mum, Yuu is an alien, and both Natsuki and Yuu himself seem to accept this at face value.

Fast forward a couple of decades and we find Natsuki living in a chaste marriage of convenience with her husband Tomoya. Both Natsuki and Tomoya settle for this peculiar arrangement in order to escape the strictures of what they call “the Factory”. The “Factory” refers to conventional Japanese society with its strict mores and pressures, especially on females to marry and have children. When Tomoya learns of Natsuki and Yuu’s childhood ‘alien’ fantasies, he embraces them with a naïve enthusiasm. Soon, Tomoya, Natuski and Yuu team up to create their own ‘alien commune’ in the mountain home of Natsuki’s grandparents. As they struggle to defiantly assert their own moral code, things get increasingly weird and surreal.

At its best, Earthlings is a darkly funny satire about society in general, and Japanese mores in particular. For instance, there’s a wickedly funny scene where the hapless would-be rebel Tomoya, eager to “make a statement”, visits his brother to propose an incestuous relationship, provoking a hilarious overreaction from the rest of the family. On the strength of such scenes, Earthlings would have worked brilliantly as a black comedy. More often than not, however, the novel comes across as merely gratuitous.

The fact is that for all its contemporary feel, what Murata is trying to do is not particularly new. The idea of the individual who takes on the rigid moral code of bourgeois society by breaking its taboos was a recurring one in the Romantic era. Goethe’s Young Werther, fictional rock star of his age, is just one of many examples. Looking at the literature of my country, Malta, this was also a theme dear to the modernist authors of the Sixties, whose novels often featured rebellious youths ostracized in a conservatively religious country. A case in point is Frans Sammut’s Samuraj a novel inspired by Japanese traditions. Samwel, the novel’s main character, struggles against what he feels are the stifling confines of a traditional, rural Mediterranean village, performing a hara-kiri in the final pages in homage to an “alien” culture at odds with local mores.

The problem Murata faces is that in our permissive times, very few taboos remain (at least in literature), and the few which are still considered “taboos” generally have good reason for being such. To jolt a jaded modern reader, Murata has to try hard. Perhaps too hard for my tastes.