Audiobook Review – Earthlings by Sayaka Murate, Narrated by Nancy Wu (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Magical Realism
Length: 7 hours and 6 minutes
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: October 06, 2020
ASIN: B086WP45PC
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed audiobook from library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“As a child, Natsuki doesn’t fit into her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut who has explained to her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth. Each summer, Natsuki counts down the days until her family drives into the mountains of Nagano to visit her grandparents in their wooden house in the forest, a place that couldn’t be more different from her grey commuter town. One summer, her cousin Yuu confides to Natsuki that he is an extraterrestrial and that every night he searches the sky for the spaceship that might take him back to his home planet. Natsuki wonders if she might be an alien too.
Back in her city home, Natsuki is scolded or ignored and even preyed upon by a young teacher at her cram school. As she grows up in a hostile, violent world, she consoles herself with memories of her time with Yuu and discovers a surprisingly potent inner power. Natsuki seems forced to fit into a society she deems a “baby factory,” but even as a married woman she wonders if there is more to this world than the mundane reality everyone else seems to accept. The answers are out there, and Natsuki has the power to find them.
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.
Thoughts: This was a bizarre and (at times) uncomfortably violent/abusive read that I was not expecting. You just didn’t know where this story was going and what was going to happen from page to page. I ended up finding that engaging and endearing despite (or maybe because) of the weirdness going on here. I was impressed with how many social issues were evaluated in the rather bizarre light of this story as well. Previous to reading this I had also read “Convenience Store Woman” and enjoyed that.
The story seems relatively simple to start. We follow Natsuki a young girl who doesn’t fit in with her family and is convinced she can do magic spells. Aside from a plush toy named Piyyut (who Natsuki thinks is from the plant Popinpobopia) her only friend is her cousin Yuu. Yuu is convinced he is an alien from a different planet and is waiting for the spaceship to take him back to his home planet. The two get along wonderfully until the world intercedes and we are quickly shoved into Natsuki’s abusive reality as she gets older. Natsuki eventually marries (via an app that helps couples who are looking for a “fake” marriage) and continues to evade what she sees as the “baby factory” of society. However, she thinks fondly of her summers spent with Yuu and eventually wants to return to the mountains of Nagano. When she does things get really wild.
What seems like a simple childhood story quickly dives into a story of the horrible abuse Natsuki faced as a girl both from her family and from a teacher. The whole story is told with a very matter of fact tone, that makes this abuse seem casual. The way the adults around Natsuki and even her friends write off this abuse as either her fault or just “something that happens” was incredibly disturbing.
The book is written in an almost childlike and simple tone throughout, which provides a stark contrast to what is happening in the story. The story shares some themes with “Convenience Store Woman” around people being forced to be something society wants. In this case Natsuki struggles with the fact that it seems like her whole society is a “baby factory” and that her only worth as a woman is to become a tool for society and make babies. She actually would like to be brainwashed by society but just can’t stomach or be happy with the idea of doing that.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook is well done. Initially I thought the narration was a bit stiff sounding, but then realized that it really matches the simple and childlike tone of the book. If you listen to audiobooks this is a good one to listen to on audiobook.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I ended up enjoying this for all of its weirdness. I did find a lot of the abuse hard to stomach and this isn’t something I would read a second time. However, this story definitely drives home the repercussions that can be seen by forcing everyone to fit into a certain societal mold. It’s a pretty extreme and odd repercussion that really isn’t all that believable. The unpredictability of the story drew me in though. I have enjoyed the two books I have read by Murate so far and will definitely keep an eye on her future books. Murate really cuts to the heart of some big societal issues in a way that is unexpected.
