Book Review: Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
5/5 ⭐️
"Survive, whatever it takes"
After reading The Convenience Store Woman and Life Ceremony, I couldn't wait to get my eyes on Earthlings. Those last two books I read were weird but still upbeat in some kind of way. I was expecting it to be the same with Earthlings but boy....oh boy....I was so wrong.
I don't even know how to begin talking about this book. It's impossible to talk about one topic and not bring up everything that came with it. This is heartbreaking. And to say that it is, is an understatement. This book is filled with a lot of physical, mental and emotional abuse. At one point, it became very hard to read that I had to put it down and just cry.
I'm not sure what to feel about the ending either. I just think that...it was at that moment that they found peace. Especially with Natsuki. I don't know if I can validate or accept what she did but with everything she's been through, maybe it was the only way for her to heal. Or it was her body's own way of telling her that she's fine. And she's going to be fine.
After all, there was nobody who she could run to. Nobody believed her. And if you lived in a world where everyone was against you, wouldn't you just prefer to live in a mind of your own?
