Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

Published 2018 · 57,538 words · about 5 hours at an average pace · Horror, Literary Fiction

How hard is Earthlings to read?

Earthlings scores 65 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 48 out of 100
Murata employs a relatively straightforward vocabulary, avoiding specialized jargon or archaic language. While the narrative incorporates elements of fantasy and science fiction, the language remains accessible, similar to "The Great Gatsby" in its clarity. The invented word "Popinpobopia" is an exception, but its meaning is easily inferred.
Sentence structure: 42 out of 100
The sentences in "Earthlings" are generally direct and easy to follow, with a mix of simple and compound structures. Paragraphs are well-managed, and the narrative flows smoothly, making it more accessible than a book like "2666." While not as simple as "Diary of a Young Girl," the syntax doesn't present significant challenges.
Abstraction: 68 out of 100
"Earthlings" blends concrete narrative with philosophical themes related to societal norms, alienation, and the definition of humanity. The protagonist's internal world and her struggle against societal expectations introduce a layer of abstraction, pushing it beyond purely concrete storytelling. While not as abstract as "Waiting for Godot," the novel delves into deeper meanings beneath the surface events, similar to "2666."
Information density: 55 out of 100
The novel presents a moderate level of information density, balancing plot progression with character development and thematic exploration. While the narrative contains unsettling and thought-provoking elements, it doesn't overwhelm the reader with dense concepts or intricate details. The attention demands are higher than a purely plot-driven novel like "The Housemaid," but lower than a text like "War and Peace."
Narrative indirection: 75 out of 100
The narrative relies heavily on the reader to interpret the protagonist's experiences and motivations, particularly as her perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted. The reader must infer the true nature of events and the reliability of Natsuki's perspective, requiring a more active role in constructing meaning, similar to "Lolita." The novel does not offer direct explanations, leaving much open to interpretation.
Symbolic density: 78 out of 100
"Earthlings" is rich in symbolism, with recurring motifs such as the concept of "earthlings," the magical objects, and the natural world carrying deeper meanings. These symbols contribute to the novel's exploration of alienation, societal expectations, and the search for belonging. The symbolic density is comparable to "The Great Gatsby," where objects and settings represent larger themes.
Ironic distance: 60 out of 100
The novel maintains a degree of ironic distance, particularly in its portrayal of societal norms and the protagonist's attempts to conform. The reader is invited to question the values and beliefs of the characters and the world they inhabit, creating a gap between what is presented and what is truly meant. This is not as pronounced as in "Ulysses," but still present.
Resolution withholding: 85 out of 100
The novel deliberately withholds a clear resolution, leaving the reader with lingering questions about the protagonist's fate and the nature of her reality. The ambiguity surrounding the ending contributes to the novel's unsettling and thought-provoking nature, similar to "2666." The lack of closure forces the reader to grapple with the themes and implications of the story.
Structural complexity: 50 out of 100
The novel follows a mostly chronological structure, but shifts in perspective and the blurring of reality create a degree of structural complexity. The narrative incorporates elements of magical realism and fantasy, which disrupt the linear flow and challenge the reader's understanding of events. While not as experimental as "Ulysses," the novel's structure contributes to its overall sense of unease and disorientation.

How Earthlings is regarded

Earthlings holds a literary regard score of 41 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

Where Earthlings sits in Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism

Placed by a full reading of the text (105 passages), not from reputation. Each verdict quotes the passage that earned it. On the axis from myth to irony, Earthlings scores 93 out of 100. A second mythos, romance, pulls at it with a weight of 0.2. About the map of stories.

Mode: Ironic
Holding hands, shoulder to shoulder, and engulfed in light, we slowly stepped out onto the Earthlings’ planet.
Symbol: Mythical (archetypal)
The three of us creatures wrapped in pure white quilts, dimly discernable in the candlelight, resembled cocoons.
Mythos: Irony and Satire vi (visio malefica) (irony vi)
We prepared three Man dishes: Miso Soup with Man, Daikon Leaf and Man Stir-Fry, and Man Simmered in Sweetened Soy Sauce.
Genre: Confession + Anatomy
I was looking for a church where I could confess. I wanted to take all the words out from inside my body and show them to someone.

Where the story of Earthlings takes place

  • Chiba New Town and the Akishina mountain house, adult autumn-winter, 2010s (2016 to 2017), the main setting
  • Childhood Obon summers at Akishina, Nagano, and Mirai New Town, Chiba, early 1990s (1993 to 1994)

6 things that are true of Earthlings, with the passage for each

  1. Natsuki bought her magical hedgehog Piyyut from a supermarket soft-toy display at age six with her New Year’s money.

    I’d met Piyyut in the supermarket by the station when I was six and had just started elementary school.

  2. As children, Natsuki and Yuu seal their relationship by hooking pinkies and making three promises.

    We hooked pinkies and made three promises.

  3. The adult Natsuki finds her no-sex husband through a website called surinuke dot com.

    In the spring three years ago, when I’d just turned thirty-one, I registered on surinuke dot com.

  4. Twenty-three years pass between the childhood night with Yuu and the adult story.

    Before I knew it, I had turned thirty-four, and twenty-three years had passed since that night with Yuu.

  5. The trio cook three named dishes from the corpse of a man.

    We prepared three Man dishes: Miso Soup with Man, Daikon Leaf and Man Stir-Fry, and Man Simmered in Sweetened Soy Sauce.

  6. In the final scene the rescuers are told the three survivors are pregnant.

    “The three of us are pregnant,” my husband said, holding his belly up with both hands for them to see.

Scenes in Earthlings that Frye would name

34 sightings of Frye's terms in the text. The strongest:

Pharmakos, untitled
It’s handy having a dumpster in the house. In this house, that’s my role. Natsuki is the family scapegoat onto whom the others offload their frustration.
Sparagmos, untitled
We prepared three Man dishes: Miso Soup with Man, Daikon Leaf and Man Stir-Fry, and Man Simmered in Sweetened Soy Sauce. Butchery of the dead and a cannibal feast mark the visio malefica.
Sparagmos, untitled
Eventually we were not satisfied by the surface alone and started in on each other’s innards with our teeth and tongues. The tearing-apart of the hero's own body becomes a mutual communion.
Displacement, untitled
My town is a factory for the production of human babies. People live in nests packed closely together. Social reality is displaced into a mythic-biological image of nests and silkworms.
Agon, untitled
Before me was a blue lump, and I was raining down blows on that lump with the small grass-cutting scythe Dad had brought from Akishina, the one I had taken from the shed. The child's 'battle with the Wicked Witch' is a quest agon, displaced as the murder of Igasaki.
Anagnorisis, untitled
I see. So I’m not an Earthling, after all! I was a Popinpobopian all along! Piyyut's revelation is the self-recognition that defines her identity for twenty-three years.

Books that share these scenes with Earthlings

About the author

Sayaka Murata