Thank you to Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of Sayaka Murata’s latest novel, Earthings, in exchange for an honest review.
Natsuki has always felt different from other people. She is an outsider in her family with her parents favoring her older sister. She discovers the reason for her outsider status when she meets Piyyut, a stuffed hedgehog that is actually an alien from the planet Popinpobopia. Piyyut informs Natsuki that she is also from their planet, which is why she doesn’t fit-in as an earthling.
The knowledge, along with guidance from Piyyut, emboldens Natsuki to stay strong against conforming to societal pressures. But rather than simply not conforming, Natsuki uses her Popinpobopia status as an excuse to engage in taboo human behavior, such as a preteen sexual encounter with her cousin Yuu.
When Natsuki and Yuu are discovered naked in the woods, their family separates them and keeps a close eye on both of them. In efforts to keep her parent’s suspicions at bay, Natsuki eventually marries, but unknown to her family, Natsuki’s husband is also a non-conformist and has an interest in Popinpobopia. They have a sham marriage, yet are mutually committed to pushing against societies taboos. They reunite with Yuu, who is someone who likes to be a follower and has been feeling very lost in his life. The trio may be stuck on earth, but they attempt to live as much of an authentic Popinpobopia life as possible.
I’m left absolutely stunned by Earthlings and I’m struggling to unpack the experience. I’ve never read anything quite like it.
Earthlings plays with ideas of what it is to conform to society, especially interesting as from what I understand, Japanese society places a high value on conforming. However, what happens when you simply can’t conform?
Natsuki has been traumatized. She is both physically and verbally abused by her family, as her sister is shown overt favoritism. When Natsuki meets Piyyut, she is already primed to believe the Popinpobopia fantasy. It is a coping mechanism for her. This goes deeper, when she is molested by her cram school teacher. She has no one to turn to, not even her close friend, who has a crush on the handsome teacher. Natsuki is constantly receiving a message that she is bad and damaged. The only person she can trust is Yuu and when they are forced apart, her mental state crumbles further.
Is Natsuki a victim or an unreliable narrator? I’m choosing to believe that she is a victim of severe trauma and this informs her Popinpobopia fantasy. Victim, however, does not mean innocent. Often Natsuki acts in a predatory manner, including her interactions with the weak willed Yuu. There are points in Earthings where I think Natsuki has clarity that Popinpobopia is not real, yet she uses it to justify her behavior. I think she must force herself to believe it, because the reality of her situation is too horrific.
Earthlings is not for the squeamish or the prude. It is one of the most surprising, graphic, and shocking stories that I have ever read. The ending is a jaw dropper. That said, I’m left feeling that nothing was gratuitous. Ultimately, the story is about how society treats outsiders, including those who have been victimized. Natsuki transforms into something quite monstrous, however, the true monsters are both her abusers and society as a whole, who have turned a blind-eye to her pain.