Reading thoughts: Earthlings
Feb. 20th, 2026 05:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valzhangLong time no see! Look, in my defense this book was pretty heavy and left me stunlocked the entire time I was reading it. I knew it would have disturbing themes but I didn't think it would be this graphic and such a large part of the plot, though I'm getting ahead of myself here.
This is a book about society. I walked into it not knowing this (there's no summary on the back) but even in the beginning it becomes very clear. First of all, the narration is so good. Natsuki is such a fascinating main character to be privy to. The metaphors and imagery that the book makes use of to portray her twisted perception of the world and the society around her are so clever and vivid. Likening societal pressures to have kids, as a breeding machine, using the imagery of insects? It gives it all such a grotesque touch and most of all really puts you in Natsuki's head and makes you understand her disgust and alienation from society.
While the start was a bit slow, it wasn't necessarily uninteresting. Far from it, actually. The way it kind of uses Natsuki's family as a vessel to represent wider society is wonderful, from the start you can get the feeling that this is a family that is in one way or another abusive. I like that it depicts incest and how it forms as a byproduct of this abuse, how Yuu and Natsuki's relationship is on one hand "good" because it's the only thing that brings them happiness and they are each other's only solace but is also terribly fucked up because they shouldn't be this way, that they are only this because they've suffered so much. Just the overall setup of the main family and how that seamlessly leads into the story and the main themes are so well-done.
Once the pace picked up and Natsuki was an adult, it was so interesting I could barely put the book down. Even though Natsuki is in some ways quite a dry narrator, who does not seem to feel emotions like others do, speaks and thinks in a detached way, and disassociates often; you can't help but care for her so so deeply. Her life is so shit and all you want is for her to be happy, to return to her home planet, even if she's so strange she borderlines on psychotic. I think anyone who reads this will find themselves in love with and rooting for Natsuki, not despite, but because of her alienation.
The dynamic I liked the most was the one between Natsuki and her husband. It was so sweet in a really weird and twisted way? How much they understood each other and helped each other drove me nearly to tears. Between Natsuki, an alien trying to conform and hoping to be brainwashed, and Tomoya, a human who had become aware of the Factory and desperately wanted to escape it.
Despite everything, the book was also funny! There were parts where I laughed, the dark comedy angle was really quite effective here. At some point it became so bizarre there was really nothing else to do except laugh.
If there are a few tiny nitpicks I had with this book, one of them is the dialogue. Just felt a little stiff. This is translated from Japanese, which I've said before is a hard language to translate, so I definitely understand if some things are a little awkward. But there were some parts where it was so obvious how awkward and translated it was. Maybe that's the point, considering the whole theme of the book and its characters, but eh. I think just a few fixes would've made it flow better and the interactions feel more natural.
Another thing was... the ending. I have both negative and positive things to say about it? I liked their descent into delusion and total nonhumanity, it's cathartic in a way. And I find it interesting that they mirrored society back at itself, despite claiming to be free of it; reminded me a little of (I know, weird comparison) Animal Farm. I enjoyed most of this part, but the very ending was just a little too incomprehensible to me? Again, I know that's the point, but when it comes to personal enjoyment... I just wish there was a little clearer of an idea of what was going on. Considering the entire novel is deeply odd and gets across its message quite well, I don't think it would've detracted from it at all if the ending was just slightly more grounded in reality. So, yeah, I didn't feel quite fulfilled and satisfied as I turned the final page.
Despite that, this book still blew me away. Disgusting and uncomfortable and disturbing but all the more interesting and poignant for it. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, but it was great. 9.5/10.
This is a book about society. I walked into it not knowing this (there's no summary on the back) but even in the beginning it becomes very clear. First of all, the narration is so good. Natsuki is such a fascinating main character to be privy to. The metaphors and imagery that the book makes use of to portray her twisted perception of the world and the society around her are so clever and vivid. Likening societal pressures to have kids, as a breeding machine, using the imagery of insects? It gives it all such a grotesque touch and most of all really puts you in Natsuki's head and makes you understand her disgust and alienation from society.
While the start was a bit slow, it wasn't necessarily uninteresting. Far from it, actually. The way it kind of uses Natsuki's family as a vessel to represent wider society is wonderful, from the start you can get the feeling that this is a family that is in one way or another abusive. I like that it depicts incest and how it forms as a byproduct of this abuse, how Yuu and Natsuki's relationship is on one hand "good" because it's the only thing that brings them happiness and they are each other's only solace but is also terribly fucked up because they shouldn't be this way, that they are only this because they've suffered so much. Just the overall setup of the main family and how that seamlessly leads into the story and the main themes are so well-done.
"Yuu, have you ever thought that your life doesn't belong to you?"
For a moment he couldn't get his words out, but then he said in a small voice, "Children's lives never belong to them. The grown-ups own us. If your mom abandons you, you won't be able to eat, and you can't go anywhere without help from a grown-up. It's the same for all children." He reached out a hand to cut a flower from the bed. "That's why we have to try hard to survive until we've grown up ourselves."
For a moment he couldn't get his words out, but then he said in a small voice, "Children's lives never belong to them. The grown-ups own us. If your mom abandons you, you won't be able to eat, and you can't go anywhere without help from a grown-up. It's the same for all children." He reached out a hand to cut a flower from the bed. "That's why we have to try hard to survive until we've grown up ourselves."
Once the pace picked up and Natsuki was an adult, it was so interesting I could barely put the book down. Even though Natsuki is in some ways quite a dry narrator, who does not seem to feel emotions like others do, speaks and thinks in a detached way, and disassociates often; you can't help but care for her so so deeply. Her life is so shit and all you want is for her to be happy, to return to her home planet, even if she's so strange she borderlines on psychotic. I think anyone who reads this will find themselves in love with and rooting for Natsuki, not despite, but because of her alienation.
The dynamic I liked the most was the one between Natsuki and her husband. It was so sweet in a really weird and twisted way? How much they understood each other and helped each other drove me nearly to tears. Between Natsuki, an alien trying to conform and hoping to be brainwashed, and Tomoya, a human who had become aware of the Factory and desperately wanted to escape it.
Despite everything, the book was also funny! There were parts where I laughed, the dark comedy angle was really quite effective here. At some point it became so bizarre there was really nothing else to do except laugh.
If there are a few tiny nitpicks I had with this book, one of them is the dialogue. Just felt a little stiff. This is translated from Japanese, which I've said before is a hard language to translate, so I definitely understand if some things are a little awkward. But there were some parts where it was so obvious how awkward and translated it was. Maybe that's the point, considering the whole theme of the book and its characters, but eh. I think just a few fixes would've made it flow better and the interactions feel more natural.
Another thing was... the ending. I have both negative and positive things to say about it? I liked their descent into delusion and total nonhumanity, it's cathartic in a way. And I find it interesting that they mirrored society back at itself, despite claiming to be free of it; reminded me a little of (I know, weird comparison) Animal Farm. I enjoyed most of this part, but the very ending was just a little too incomprehensible to me? Again, I know that's the point, but when it comes to personal enjoyment... I just wish there was a little clearer of an idea of what was going on. Considering the entire novel is deeply odd and gets across its message quite well, I don't think it would've detracted from it at all if the ending was just slightly more grounded in reality. So, yeah, I didn't feel quite fulfilled and satisfied as I turned the final page.
Despite that, this book still blew me away. Disgusting and uncomfortable and disturbing but all the more interesting and poignant for it. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, but it was great. 9.5/10.
I pulled away from him and declared, "I am Popinpobopian. And you are too. It's catching. Just like being an Earthling is infectious, and that's how people all become Earthlings. It's the same with our planet. So you're definitely a Popinpobopian by now." I took his cold hand in mine. "Let's escape together."
"Where to?"
"A village near the stars."
"Where to?"
"A village near the stars."