Just like in her previous novel, Sayaka Murata focuses on the story of a misfit - but she goes much further and deeper than in Convenience Store Woman. This is the disturbing story of Natsuki, whom we meet when she is a child - beaten by her mother, molested by a teacher, lonely and unloved. It is outrageous - you get the whole package: sexual abuse, violence, incest, murder, cannibalism... But in a strange way it was also very touching. You get the feeling that despite the main characters' crazy beliefs and actions, you understand them and forgive them, somehow, because was happened to them is truly horrifying.
It is a beautiful, sad tale of abuse and coping with abuse as an adult. I loved the writing and the character's longing for the mountain village of her ancestors.

content warnings: sexual abuse, incest, parental abuse, murder, cannibalism, suicide attempt

After reading Convenience Store Woman, I was excited to read another Sayaka Murata book. Earthlings is another story about subverting the expectations laid out by society. However, I did feel it lacked some of the charm that, for me, made Convenience Store Woman such a delight.

In Earthlings we follow the character of Natsuki, as she spends Summers with her extended family in the mountains of Nagano where she has a bond with her cousin Yuu. As Natsuki deals with a series of traumatic events, she copes by imagining that she and Yuu are aliens and they can leave Earth once they find their spaceship. As an adult, Natsuki holds on to this belief and marries for convenience so that she appears to conform to societal expectations. Eventually Natsuki, her husband, and Yuu decide to escape the confines of society and live in their own way.

Earthlings is certainly a unique story. It is in some ways an excellent coming of age tale; Natsuki uses the belief that she is not human as a refuge from the trauma she has been through. Through her magic power she is able to protect herself from the world.

Earthlings is a powerful and often engrossing story but it is not an easy read. The graphic depictions of abuse (and particularly the sexual abuse) were very disturbing. Personally, this stopped me from being able to really enjoy the story- though I am sure many readers will love this book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.