Earthlings

Outsider. Don’t let the cute cover image of Sayaka Murata’s novel titled, Earthlings, lull you. This is a dark story of a troubled woman named Natsuki who feels like an alien within her own family and society. When in Tokyo, she is scolded by her mother, and abused by a young teacher. She finds refuge during Summer, which she spends on a Nagano mountaintop at the home of her grandparents. Her cousin Yuu and her plush toy Piyyut claim to be from the planet Popinpobopia and being on the mountain may bring them closer to their real home. Murata pulls readers into Natsuki’s troubled and dark life as each succeeding episode makes us understand her difficulties in new and disturbing ways. This novel seems to want to tell us about the troubles of contemporary society and does so in ways that will be haunting for many readers. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Earthlings from amazon.com.