Chikyū Seijin (地球星人)

49,00 

The long-awaited new novel by Sayaka Murata, following the huge international success of Convenience Store Woman (Dziewczyna z konbini.Chikyū Seijin (Earthlings) is shocking, surprising, but also – which can be sometimes hard to admit – entertaining. It draws you in, although it will undoubtedly divide the readers. While there are some similarities between Murata’s debut and Earthlings, the latter book differs significantly from the first. Fans of Convenience Store Woman (Dziewczyna z konbini), who appreciated the peace and balance of everyday life in that book, should watch out – you will not find any of that in Earthlings.

It’s hard to write more about the plot without revealing too many of its key elements, but let’s try. The novel begins when young Natsuki, along with her parents and younger sister Kise, are racing down the winding mountain roads for a family reunion. A snap shot would show us a picture perfect family – but it won’t be long before these appearances completely dissipate. Natsuki is an introverted girl, isolated from the rest of the family, whose only confidant is the plush Piyyut (according to the owner, it is actually an alien from the planet Popinpobopia) and her cousin Yuu, with whom Natsuki meets only for a few days a year during these family reunions. Only to these two (Yuu and Piyyut) does Natsuki open up and share all of her innermost secrets. With each page the number of secrets to share will only grow.

We follow the shocking fate of Natsuki and Yuu from childhood to adulthood. Like Keiko from The Convenience Store Woman, they are unable to find a place for themselves within the norms and rules imposed by society. In Natsuki’s eyes, the role of a human (an earthling) is to take its designated place in a gigantic Factory that produces people, nothing else. She does what she can to avoid becoming another cog.

Although the subjects Murata touches upon in Chikyū Seijin (social norms, motherhood, “otherness”, asexuality, etc.) are very similar to Convenience Store Woman (Dziewczyna z konbini) – and actually to most of her earlier, untranslated novels, too – in the latest in the book the author really takes the readers on a crazy rollercoaster ride. It seems that with every page the snowball grows with new shocking events, so much that this may force more sensitive readers to put the book aside, even if for a moment. So does this shock value lead to something deeper? Does it allow us to discover or understand something more about our society and ourselves? See for yourself.

The book is also available in English.

③なにがあってもいきのびること。 由宇との誓いが、体の中に焼き付いている。私はいつまで生き延びればいいのだろう。いつか、生き延びなくても生きていられるようになるのだろうか。

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ISBN

9784101257136

Language

Country

Pages

323

Publisher

Year

2022

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