Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

For those who enjoyed Muratas earlier work, Convenience Store Woman, Earthlings takes the same themes of alienation and coming to terms with the rigid expectations of society and launches them into a much darker narrative.

This book starts off as a whimsical tale that follows a young girl, Natsuki, who is perceived as abnormal by those around her. Natsuki finds the structures and confines that shape the society around her, and the expectations they create, to be in conflict with her ability to be who she is. This coupled with an often abusive family life drives her to find refuge with her toy, Piyyut, who is from the imaginary planet Popinpobopia, and discover her ability to cope using the magical powers she cultivates. The only one who seems to understand her is her cousin, Yuu, with whom she pledges to “survive, whatever it takes”, which Natsuki upholds in the face of a very traumatic sequence of events.

The story then follows Natsuki into her adult life, where we can see how she constantly wishes to be “brainwashed” by society so she can just be happy and stop resisting. On a visit to the countryside with her husband however, the story takes a shocking turn that involves all manner of violence, rebellion, and psychotic catharsis. At this point it becomes difficult to know what is truly happening and what is not, and as sure as it is to keep you turning the pages, it’s equally sure to leave you stunned and maybe slightly aghast.

While I found the story to be very weird, it is the kind of story that challenges the readers boundaries of creativity, making it impossible to put down.

Happy reading!

Reviewed by Emma Mikkelsen

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The Lying life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

Unlike so many others, I had never read any of the books in Elena Ferrante’s ‘My Brilliant Friend’ quartet, so I had no idea what to expect when I embarked on this long awaited and much anticipated new novel by the author, The Lying Life of Adults.

Giovanna, a fourteen year old girl in the throws of teenage life with all its emotion and intensity is the surprising narrator of a book full of surprises. At her most vulnerable, Giovanna overhears her father tell her mother that he can see his daughter growing uglier by the day; that she is resembling more and more the sister he loathes, the sister he has tried to get away from for years. This shocks Giovanna, who not only is hurt by the words of her beloved father, but who also has never heard of this aunt, this woman whom he so despises. The conversation is the beginning of a rollercoaster ride for our young friend, who follows an irresistible urge to discover who and what her father was speaking of. 

The voyage takes Giovanna to the underbelly of Naples, a city she has only known for its nicer neighborhoods, better schools and more educated, academic and wealthier middle class. Suddenly she is thrown into the less gentrified parts of the city amongst the more aggressive, highly emotional and temperamental inhabitants not to mention the much rougher streets and piazzas. 

The Lying Life of Adults is unlike many other stories, partly because it is an adult book, written in the voice of a 14-year old girl and in that sense a reminder to us who have long forgotten what its like to feel as intensely, believe as ardently and judge as swiftly as one does at that age. It is also a poignant reminder of the hypocrisy and indeed ‘lying life’ that so many adults lead, almost unconsciously and how transparent this all is to children and young adults. The book is also about forgiveness and about how life stories and events are almost always multilayered and complex and that with time often comes a better understanding and if we’re lucky, forgiveness.

It is also worth noting that Ferrante does a magnificent job of weaving the city of Naples into the story, especially as the different aspects and neighborhoods brilliantly reflect the people who live there and the emotions that are displayed in the homes and on the streets of this remarkable city.

Happy Reading!

Review by Isabella

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She Said is a thrilling account of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s New York Times article breaking the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Written in a logic driven, traditional style of investigative journalism, the book takes us through the painstaking research process, whereby facts are checked through complicated document trails and chasing down tips. We also gain insight into the human aspect of the journalistic process and the development of relationships with sources, underpinned by constant contact and cultivating trust. 

Although this book follows the Harvey Weinstein scandal in particular, the Kantor and Twohey focus on the enabling structures that allowed Weinstein, and others like him, to use their power to exploit women and get away with it, both in a toxic Hollywood context, but also in the structures of American society itself. I found Chapter 3, “How to Silence a Victim” particularly enthralling, as the authors dig into previous cases of workplace sexual harassment/assault by powerful men and explore how the complex network of legal and social mechanisms in order work to silence women, facilitating reinforcement of the abusive behavior. 

Current events in Denmark, with Sofie Lindes speech drawing attention to sexual harassment in the workplace, the following declarations from Danish academic, political, media, and film branches denouncing sexism, and the Morten Østergaard #MeToo scandal, make this a highly relevant read. After reading this, I feel that I can apply to the current debates a more nuanced and critical perspective on how social structures perpetuate and enable sexist behavior in this society. 

Infuriating at times but a must read, enjoy!

Reviewed by Emma Mikkelsen

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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This haunting and unique story is Coates’ debut novel and a feat 10 years in the making. 

The story follows Hiram Walker, who was born an enslaved person (“Tasked”) in the Antebellum South. His mother was sold away, leaving Hiram with no memory of her but endowed with mysterious powers. Through a brush with death he unlocks the will to take a massive risk and attempt to escape from his home. This sets off a journey that results in Hiram being recruited into an underground war, where he confronts his memories and traumas while never abandoning a fierce determination to rescue his family. 

Coates has built this novel on extensive passion and interest in the era, as well as extensive research into the daily life of enslavers (“the Quality”) and the enslaved. Coates has emphasized the role family separation played in the daily life of an enslaved person; mothers separated from children, husbands separated from wives, grandmothers separated from grandchildren. Hiram is not only physically separated from his mother, but the trauma has wiped his memories of her, and this tension manifests in his relationships with other characters. The power of memory as opposed to history, and the power of the collective memories of enslaved peoples, is illustrated in this mystical world as part of Hiram’s superhuman powers and the key to unlocking his full potential. 

The Water Dancer also explores the realities of freedom, and what freedom entailed for enslaved peoples of the pre-Civil War era. The story of the Underground, the secret war between enslaved and enslavers, poignantly shows that freedom for the individual necessitated freedom for all those bound to “the Task”. A parallel can be drawn to modern day American society and make us reflect in earnest what justice and equality for African Americans means today in the face of continuing systemic discrimination. 

This novel is a suspenseful story of suffering, solidarity, sacrifice, family, and love. It places the enslavement narrative in a fantastical world of mystical powers that will keep you turning the pages.

Happy reading!

Review by Emma

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