This was unusual, unconventional, and weird. This collection of short stories explores many different topics that explores the question of how we live. I thought that her stories examined what we consider normal, but used an extreme and grotesque way to do so. I found some of the stories very interesting, particularly the stories on asexuality and partners raising children together. The titular story, “Life Ceremony,” was uncomfortable as it spoke about a tradition of eating the flesh of the recently deceased in order to conceive. Frankly, I struggled to read that particular story and felt physically sick. However, it brings around the conversation of what the human race will do in order to survive. This theme is one that runs through many of the short stories. I found her style of combining the unreal and mad with the normal mundane fascinating.

I want to first say that despite my low rating I do think this author writes interesting short stories and has a very creative mind. There were some stories that I really liked but the bad overshadowed the good with this book. Despite this, I do think that some people would find entertainment in reading this book, I don't regret reading it myself, I am just left wondering "was that it?"

The writing is very simplistic, which I think comes down to the fact that it is translated into English so I won't hold any grudge about that. I reads similar to the Brothers Grimm type tales in this way. A lot of the stories are more speech based instead of heavy on description, it felt a little unusual in this way.

At some points I feel like the stories are thought provoking but then some of them fall flat and I'm left unsure of what the point was. The ending of the final one 'A Clean Marriage' is a perfect example of this. I was so confused when that story suddenly ended.

My favourite story was 'Poochie', it was probably the shortest of them all, it got to the point quickly and had thought-provoking commentary on the overworked office worker.

Some of the stories involved subjects that I suppose class as Horror, but some of them are far from that. And none of them are scary, it's not that kind of Horror.

Like all of Murata’s fiction that I’ve read before, Life Ceremony manages to be poignant while also being deeply weird. And the short story format works well for these uncanny tales. I can’t imagine a first person narrative from the POV of a curtain who a man falls for working as a full novel but it is perfect here in ‘Lover on the Breeze’. I enjoyed Life Ceremony overall, but the largely similar protagonists (curtain excepted) of young detached women do feel a bit repetitive and wearing after a while.

You have to "like" the works of Sayaka Murata otherwise you just aren't going to get it. Luckily I'd read "Convenience Store Woman" a while back so was happy to read "Life Ceremony". It is also short stories which again isn't for everyone. The first couple of stories are weird, but weird in a good way. The author does take everyday life and then puts a little spin on it, like using human bones and hair as decoration, furniture and clothing. It is a mixed bag, being short stories, but I liked the majority of them and will happily read more Sayaka Murata in future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Granta for giving me an ARC copy of this book. I've loved Murata's previous novels, which combine a surrealist sense of humor with a fiercely individualistic streak. Her novels usually concern characters who have their own way of looking at the world and are rebelling against the arbitrary boundaries that society has placed around them. In Life Ceremony, Murata continues to ruminate on these themes and these short stories touch on controversial and taboo topics such as eating the bodies of the dead, choosing to have a platonic marriage and cultivating multiple contradictory personalities for different groups of friends. Murata is a very original thinker who handles all of these topics with a light touch, a keen eye for the bizarre and incredibly sensual writing (sometimes stomach-turningly so). if you've enjoyed her previous work, Life Stories should continue to satisfy you.

I didn’t know quite what to expect from Sayaka Murata’s short stories. I loved Convenience Store Woman but for me, Earthlings was just too weird.

This collection was a definitely weird with all the stories being slightly futuristic and other-worldly but I had a really great time with them!

Themes of the future, technology, sex and food flow through this collection and I liked these consistent themes. A fun read.

4 stars

Murata’s work, at times, makes me feel uneasy. Unnerved. Perhaps troubled, often queasy. Yet I find myself returning to it, again and again, as I find she wields her pen with such an insightful (and frequently bewildering) view of a detached, unfiltered experience of human life like no author I have ever encountered before.

There is no possible way I can summarise the range of topics which are covered between these pages. Beginning ‘Life Ceremony’, I was familiar with some of Murata’s translated work - having read and loved Convenience Store Woman, and having similar feelings toward Earthlings. There is no linear boundary between the beautiful and the taboo that Murata tiptoes around - nor is it brutally shattered - but rather this collection of short stories elegantly drifts between these two drastically different sections of humanity. The roots, and depths, of the expansive imagination and perspective of the author is completely and utterly on display within these tales. I almost fear saying too much, as I believe that in the case of whoever you are, reading this, having not yet read Life Ceremony, should enter it entirely unaware of what awaits you. My particular favourite, which I have read three times in succession, is ‘Eating the City’. It is a delicacy.

I frequently compose my thoughts and review books directly after closing the cover. In this case, it has taken me days. I think the stories within will linger in my mind for a long, long while beyond this, too.

A book of wonderfully weird short stories from the fantastically twisted mind of Sayaka Murata. I love this author's work and I wish she wrote more and quicker! Brilliant, disturbing and totally original stuff!

There’s so much to say about Life Ceremony, but you wouldn’t believe me if I tried. Chock full of barbs and allegory these tales range from the fantastical to the deranged with a fever dream wedged firmly in the centre.

Murata treads lightly when building her world and let’s the reader use their own moral compass to guide them through the quagmire of challenges to ethical and societal norms. Nothing here is superfluous, even the gore is tasteful and just so.

3/5 • Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

• no spoiler review •

This was an odd read for me, as I’m not usually one for short stories, but I can say I definitely thoroughly enjoyed it. It took an almost black mirror-esque approach, showing us glimpses into the lives of these people as they navigate the world where things such as ‘life ceremonies’ take place. Each of these stories are beautiful in their own way, taking a dark or taboo topic and exploring it with an almost childlike innocence. Unfortunately, I did feel like the short story format left a lot to be desired as I would have loved to be able to explore these worlds and characters far more. Also, some of the language and working felt awkward at times, but that is to be expected with work that has been translated. Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable and thought provoking read, but it doesn’t quite scratch the same itch as a full length novel would.

Having LOVED Convenience Store Woman, I was eager to get stuck in to life ceremony. It certainly wasn’t what I expected but I really enjoyed certain aspects of the book, however, some parts were just to weird, even for me.

This book 🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Me

This might be my favourite book from this author

This book might not be everyone cup of tea but this was mine!

So many moments I was gasping and had to take a break but I loved every part! I want to know what the author was thinking when they wrote some scenes or came up with some ideas … mainly for the furniture or the funeral… cuz they had me shocked!!





Thank you netgalley and publishers for letting me read this

A weird, grotesque collection of short stories which engages with concepts of morality and humanity. Most of the content requires a strong stomach and is definitely more like Earthlings than Convenience Store Woman. There is an obsession with bodies, what we put into them, what comes out of them and how we should or shouldn’t use them.

I didn’t enjoy the book but I did appreciate the thought-provoking quality of the stories, which deliberately confront social taboos and feature characters who are not afraid to be different. The stand-out story for me was ‘A First-Rate Material’, which opens the collection. Unfortunately most of the stories were either too rambling, had weak endings or repetitive writing.

If you loved Earthlings, or if you didn’t love it but was intrigued by its shock factor, I suggest you pick up this book. I just found it too much of a mixed bag.

[Review will be on my blog, 3rd July]

Life Ceremony (by Sayaka Murata)

Sayaka Murata’s Life Ceremony is a collection of thirteen subversive tales that rejects social norms, and defies easy categorization. Body horror combines with the author's typical disregard for social morays in thirteen interesting - and sometimes disturbing - ways that are sure to stick with the reader long after the last page is turned. Occasionally Murata’s tales draw a smile, at other times a grimace, but they are all told in the light, almost childlike, prose which Sayaka Murata has established in her previous works - Earthlings and The Convenience Store Woman - and many of these tales could be taken as either proto-versions, or additions, to these two novels. Characters are occasionally re-used, and the reader can see how perhaps much of Murata’s work could (and perhaps does) co-exist in the same world.

Though maybe this is not the world many of us would wish to live in.

As with her previous work the simple writing style is somewhat misleading. The themes and directions these stories take are not for less demanding readers. The ideas are sometimes very challenging, often bordering on obscene to the average sensibilities, but it is here that the author always shines. She never fails to surprise and amuse, even as she disturbs and sometimes repulses.

A detailed analysis of any of Murata’s works would do her a disservice. Her style is a combination of naivete and scatalogical. Imagine an early 80’s Clive Barker writing a book for children, a feverish grin on his face at the nightmares he is bound to produce, and you may get an inkling of Murata’s work. She writes gleefully about subjects not spoken about in polite company with the wistfulness of someone longing for them. Charm oozes with exuberance from every story in Life Ceremony. It flows as easily as the bodily fluids that so frequently appear. The characters collected here are as strange and terrifying as they are attractive and beguiling. They always remind us of ourselves, but they remain alien and fiercely unique. They attract and repel in equal measure, and we understand them even as they retain their mystery.

With each release of Murata’s work Granta Publications cements me more as a genuine fan, both of Murata and the books they release, and I hope for many more of her books to be released in translation. I am extremely thankful for both NetGalley and Granta Publications for supplying me with a review copy of this wonderfully entertaining book, and I am looking forward to purchasing a copy to go along with the other Murata books on my bookshelf.

5 word review.
weird, weird, weird, weird, weird

However I can confirm I will officially read anything Sayaka Murata puts on paper.

A brilliant volume of speculative dystopian short stories. This unsettling collection deals with human relationships; whether they're romantic, platonic, familial or reproductive.
At times unsettling, the writing is splattered with all manner of human excretion and suprising rituals. Perhaps too vulgar for some, I found it delicaticate yet humorous and all togethet intriguing.

This book was certainly unlike anything else I've ever read before. Sayaka Murata has definitely diverted from the popular Convenience Store Woman here, and taken a much more grotesque turn. As with all short stories, I definitely preferred some over others, but what I will say is that even if some of the content wasn't to my liking, Murata's writing style is absolutely stunning. Even when I wasn't hugely enjoying some of the grosser tales, it was still very easy to read and I found the writing beautifully descriptive throughout. This book certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's undeniably a brilliant bit of writing!

Beautifully strange, surreal, dark, and at times gruesome. I’d expect nothing less from the author of Earthlings and this collection of short stories did not disappoint. Murata’s stories are both calm and unnerving, a wonderful and bizarre wander through stories that will leave you wondering about love, life and what to have for dinner.

I loved Murata's Convenience Store Woman, and was curious to see what her short stories would be like. As with any short story collection there were some that I liked and some that I didn't, but overall this is a fantastic collection of strange and thought-provoking stories on taboo topics.

Standouts for me were:

-Life Ceremony: your loved ones consume your body after your death in a celebration of life

-First Rate Material: human material products (i.e. human hair sweaters) are prized possessions

-Two's Family: two women in an unconventional relationship reflect on their life together

-Eating the City: an office worker hunts for fresh plants to eat in Tokyo

-Hatchling (my favourite of the bunch): a woman has created different personalities around the expectations others have placed on her.

Life Ceremony is uncomfortable, thought-provoking, and totally fascinating. I'd definitely recommend this to people looking to read something a little different, however it wont be for everyone.

CW: body horror, cannibalism, incest

Thank you to NetGalley, Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori, and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I absolutely love books full of weird stories, but some of these were absolutely vile and made me uncomfortable to read e.g. incest.