Earthlings by Sayak Murata

*spoilers ahead*

After loving Convenience Store Woman, I’ve been wanting to try Earthlings for a long time. I always find translated fiction fascinating, as it’s usually hit or miss for me, and unfortunately, this one landed firmly in the “miss” category.

Written by Sayak Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, the book revolves around Natsuki as the main character. From the start, I felt confused and uncomfortable by Natsuki, especially when she talks about her cousin as her boyfriend. She also believes she has magical powers and that her cousin is an alien who might one day take her back to his home planet. Whilst intriguing, I struggled to get into the plot and adjust to the strange and unsettling tone.

The story takes an even darker turn when Natsuki’s teacher makes some uncomfortable comments at her school, and quickly his behaviour worsens. Reading these parts, whilst deliberately uncomfortable, made me feel sorry for Natsuki. On top of that, the way her mother treats her is just heartbreaking. As the book goes on, you realise Natsuki’s belief in magic and aliens is her way of coping with trauma, which is incredibly sad, but the way it’s written is so disturbing that it’s hard to focus on anything else.

As an adult, Natsuki lives in an asexual marriage and pretends to be “normal,” but her past keeps haunting her. She eventually flees to the mountains to reunite with her cousin Yuu, and from there, things continue to spiral. There are so many ‘wtf’ moments throughout this book, and most of them didn’t have a clear underlying meaning.

I believe that Murata is trying to comment on human behaviour, societal expectations, and the pressures to conform, but the shock factor completely overshadowed everything else. The cute cover totally fooled me as this book dives into trauma, sexual abuse, murder, and even cannibalism. It’s chaotic, graphic, and unsettling.

I much preferred Convenience Store Woman, which explored similar themes of society, family, and the patriarchy in a much more effective and readable way. Earthlings felt like it was trying too hard to be shocking, and any deeper meaning got lost along the way. Overall, I found this a deeply disturbing read that I wouldn’t be quick to recommend.

1/5 stars