Like everything else Sayaka Murata has written, this was phenomenal. Murata has a way with words that I feel is so unique and complex, yet so easy to understand and become immersed in. Life Ceremony is my favourite piece Murata has written so far, and I know I'll be reaching for it again and again as a comfort book. Absolutely excellent and I can't rate it highly enough!

»Normal is a type of madness, isn't it? I think it's just that the only madness society allows is called normal.«

After reading both novels of Murata, I was excited when these short stories were announced! From the narrative style, we get nothing new—but I simply LOVED the fact that all stories revolve around outsiders of some kind. Typical for Murata's work, we also get topics like cannibalism and recycling of human bones, teeth, etc., as cutlery, accessories or furniture. Some of the shorter stories weren't for me, but all in all I was very happy with the others. Recommend!!

If you've read any of Sayaka Murata's novels then you'll already know what to expect from her short story collection: weird, dark and unsettling. There were a few stories in here that were so bizarre that I didn't really understand what was happening by the end of them, but mostly I enjoyed them. It was interesting to see where some of the themes that ran through Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings may have originated. Overall, although the collection didn't blow me away, and I definitely prefer novel-length stories from Murata, I would still recommend this unique set of stories to any Murata fans.

A collection of 12 very surreal and unsettlingly stories. Murata definitely has an imagination. She seemingly takes taboo ideas around relationships, sexuality, food and the human body and spins her tales around these.

If you have a delicate stomach this collection may not be for you. That said, the writing is not gratuitous. Murata's style is detached and this results in writing that in less delicate hands could be seen just to have been written for shock value. There are things to be shocked at in these pages but then Murata seems to be leading the reader to reflect on how societal norms influence ideas of acceptability.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

Now, I really liked #conveniencestorewoman, was shocked but enjoyed #earthlings. I didn't have high hopes for #lifeceremony if I am honest, I worried that the hype had led to a book being released ASAP to ride that, wave. Boy was I wrong! This is easily the best book from @sayaka_murata_ I have read so far, all of the stories are simply brilliant, so clever and thought provoking. Very normal true to life stories with absolutely bonkers but possible twists or changes. I won't spoil the stories but I really did like them all and one that is still making me think is about the town that doesn't sleep, really made and keeps making me think. Each one of those stories could be a full length book, they are that good and have so much potential.

Really loved this book, hope you so too.

#lifeceremony by @sayaka_murata_ translated by #ginnytapleytakemori

Enjoy all! 2022 has been a wow year for #translatedjapanesefiction

#books2022 #honnomushi100 #japanesefiction #japaneseauthors #japaneseliterature #japanesetranslatedfiction #books #reading #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #japanesetranslatedliterature

I was really intrigued in this collection from Murata, especially after finally reading Convenience Store Woman earlier this year, so I was very excited to get an eARC thanks to @netgalley and @grantabooks!

If there’s one thing I truly learned on this third adventure into Murata’s writing, it is to never think you know what to expect. Yes, the stories here are speculative and futuristic, and sometimes just frankly wild, but each in their own distinct way.

Favourites for me were A First Rate Material, A Magnificent Spread, Lover on the Breeze, and Eating the City - as well as capturing me while reading, I’ve kept thinking about these snippets of futures and lives and minds since.

Here’s hoping we don’t have a too-long wait until the next work from Murata to make it to us - she is one of the sharpest people writing today, and I really recommend Life Ceremony as a place to start if you’ve not yet read her work.

Sayaka Murata is an incredible writer. Primarily, the life ceremony talks about what is "normal" in society, things that are customary, and what is conventional and acceptable and challenges it. They are deep, visceral, twisted, challenging, and disgusting, and I love them. These stories are often of two types. A society is a strange place where weird, terrifying things are accepted and normalized but the characters do not partake, or a normal society where the characters are doing things that are taboo and scary. These stories really challenge what is normal, ethical, and moral. Murata's imagination is both terrifying and strangely satisfying. These stories often feel so far off from what is normal, but at the same time, not really, and the scariest thing is that Murata makes one believe this society we live in can do these things.

4.5/5

Thank you, NetGalley/Granta Publications, for this book in lieu of an honest review.

Life Ceremony is such a great read if you're into... a little weird. Sayaka Murata hits the spot on a very human, raw level with her strange short stories about loneliness and feeling like you're not part of society. I very much enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from her! This was a very different read from Convenience Store Woman and I can't decide which one I like best. Depending on how sensitive you are, you may not want to pick this up during your lunch break.

I'll preface this review by saying that I was not as bowled over by Convenience Store Woman as many people were when I read it last year. So I'm just maybe not the right reader for this author.

This is a collection of short stories which all focus on a societal norm, and subverts it to the point of absurdity. Which sounds fun. Why don't we eat humans, why don't we eat the weeds in the cracks of the pavement, why don't we keep middle-aged men as pets?

And there is a lot to like in this collection. Some stories were gross-out page-turners, and others actually quite thought-provoking. But as a whole, something felt off to me, as if the subversion was the main focus, and that shocking and repulsing people was the point of the stories. This isn't to say that the stories are bad, and I don't mind being a bit revolted every now and then. But the actual insights being made by the stories aren't particularly deep and are not what stays with the reader when the story ends.

Entertaining (if you like that sort of thing), but not meaty enough for me (maybe that's why we don't eat humans...).

This is a collection of short, speculative fiction, by the author of Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings. I have read Convenience Store Woman and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading more by this author. The topics of the stories range from cannibalism being the norm, a high tech human fertilisation/reproduction process, and a bedroom curtain in love with its owner (yes, really!).
The first couple of stories, although VERY odd, were entertaining, but as the book went on they strayed a bit too far into being completely bonkers for me!
For the most part, they tackle quite taboo subjects - the title story, for instance, is about the 'life ceremony' of friends and family making a feast of their loved ones after they die and this being the accepted custom.
I'd recommend to fans of speculative fiction, but with a warning that some of the stories are quite shocking!
The first part of the book was a 4.5-5 star read, but the later stories pulled down my overall rating to a 3.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC, which I received in return for an honest review.

The best bits in this short story collection are weird, gory, and uncomfortable. I LOVE Murata’s writing so I was very excited to read this e-ARC and the first chapter and the titular chapter are absolutely what I hoped for. Visceral, nasty, and full of sharp, dystopian insights about how our societies might twist and turns. I’d love to use the cannibalism and body horror chapters to discuss environmentalism, death, and waste in my classes.

Some chapters were less exciting and the pace and tone felt a bit uneven. Overall, I think this is the perfect one sit read if you can enjoy the gross surreal sections. I would absolutely recommend this book with the note that some stories are far better than others.

It's hard to rate this short story collection as I feel very differently about all 13 vignettes. They range from sharp and astute to imaginative and gross. Just like Convenience Store Woman, this book examines and breaks societal norms as well as explores our obsession with 'normal'.

I was rather enjoying this book until the titular story, which was unfortunately too much for my liking. Equally disgusting was Puzzle with its many descriptions of bodily fluids. However, I loved the ones about perception, stereotypes and conformity. Hatchling and its study of our penchance to fit people into boxes that we are familiar with was my absolute favourite.

Overall, a very thought-provoking read that I still need to stew in...

loved this book!
while it contained multiple stories i did prefer some more than others
but honestly it was really good. i have previously read convenience store woman by this author and i greatly enjoyed both of them.

"The custom of eating flesh has become so deeply ingrained in our society that little by little, I'm becoming less confident about what things were like before. But thirty years ago, when I was still in kindergarten, I'm sure it was strictly taboo."

A fascinating collection of short stories exploring the complexities of humanity and questioning our accepted norms and realities by putting forward a variety of challenging scenarios to explore the unimaginable. Some of the stories reeeeally hit and some were just confusing or a little too slow.

"'So anything with a name is a proper food?'
'A name puts whoever's eating it at east, doesn't it? Even a con man always gives his name'".

Sadly the compilation was not for me, regardless of the compelling look into non-traditional living circumstances, repurposing of deceased human material and what we, as societies consider the traditional and correct diet. A culling of a couple of chapters may have made all the difference.

Like all her books, it's eeriely good. Sometimes it makes me shiver and scared at how weird the storyline or plot is.

I look forward to all her books, Sayaka Murata has been an author that her works I'll auto read.
Really really good this one.

This is my first approach to this author, and as I finished this book I inmediatly bought a some of her other books to keep in touch with her literature. Sayaka Murata is amazing, the way she mixes japanese culture and creepyness, erradicates boundaries and redefines morals. Her stories are strange and grotesque, it’s full of body horror.

Once you start one of her stories you just can’t stop reading. Murata’s world feels like a dystopic one, a kind of uncomfortable journey to her mind. I must say I have my favorite stories:
- A first rate material
- Life Ceremony
- Poochie

A bizarre, intriguing, daring collection of stories exploring and challenging social conventions.

Each of Sayaka Murata's stories revolves around a specific, surprising or outlandish idea, like wearing human products, eating human flesh, chameleon-personalities or sex-less, clean marriage. We follow a main character (or a small group), as they live in this alternative scenario. The stories are mostly quite short, often feeling like thought experiments - some of them intrigued me more, some of them I vibed with less.

It has to be stated from the start, this is an unusual collection and the topics here are mostly bizarre, foreign and potentially unsettling. But I found some of these stories truly intriguing and fascinating, and I have to admire the author for her imagination and boldness. 'Life ceremony' is a great option if you want to be challenged and like your books to get you thinking (or frown in bewilderment). This collection won't be for everyone, but if you liked any of this author's previous works, you won't be disappointed.

Such a great collection of short stories! I can't really explain them as the best part of reading it was going in with no expectations and then having literal jaw dropping reactions as the unusual part of the story was revealed. Some of the stories seem to be set now, but in a slightly altered world with different customs, some seem to be set in the near future, others with an altered reality but all made me think about societal customs and expectations and how I'd react to the different situations. My favourites were "A First-Rate Material" in this world clothes are made from human hair, jewellery and furniture from human bones!; "A Magnificent Spread" about different food customs; "Life Ceremony"funerals are called life ceremonies and it is customary to cook and eat the dead person then go and have sex to create new life!. I doubt I will forget this one! "Poochie" an unusual pet two girls have a secret pet, a man pretending to be a dog!; "Lovers on the Breeze" about a curtain named Puff!

Murata is rapidly emerging as one of the foremost chronicler of that most modern of moods: awkwardness. Her protagonists are typically young women who struggle with relationships, jobs or family members and construct hide-outs in the margins of society, as in her debut Convenience Shop Woman.This collection of short stories could be sub-titled 50 Shades of Cringe, and to awkwardness of characters she somewhat deliberately adds a desire to make the reader feel awkward, though some startling body-horror. One story imagines a world where it’s perfectly normal to make light-shades, cushion covers or umbrellas out of human remains. There’s human beings as pets, a sentient pair of curtains, the somewhat predictable cannibalism as social rite of passage, and creepy medical procedures. Not every story hits its mark - some are just too brief -, but if you’re up for a reading experience that’ll ask you some awkward questions about conformity and normality, this is two hundred pages well spent. Actually 3.5 out of 5. A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.


This collection of short stories is probably one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read, and I had a fantastic time reading it. I don’t remember the last time I sat and read a book in one sitting, but this short story collection had me hooked from the very first page. I also squirmed, grimaced, and visibly cringed at points because the stories cover a lot of quite frankly, disturbing content but at the same time, each story was captivatingly written. There are definitely some weaker stories in the collection but overall, I have to give this 5 stars for making me react so strongly to the content but still want to keep reading!