Murata Sayaka
Grove Press
15 April 2025
240
eBook - PDF
Speculative Fiction
ARC via NetGalley
As a girl, Amane realizes with horror that her parents “copulated” in order to bring her into the world, rather than using artificial insemination, which became the norm in the mid-twentieth century. Amane strives to get away from what she considers an indoctrination in this strange “system” by her mother, but her infatuations with both anime characters and real people have a sexual force that is undeniable. As an adult in an appropriately sexless marriage—sex between married couples is now considered as taboo as incest—Amane and her husband Saku decide to go and live in a mysterious new town called Experiment City or Paradise-Eden, where all children are raised communally, and every person is considered a Mother to all children. Men are beginning to become pregnant using artificial wombs that sit outside of their bodies like balloons, and children are nameless, called only “Kodomo-chan.” Is this the new world that will purify Amane of her strangeness once and for all?
Murata Sayaka's works always have concepts that seem bizarre at first encounter but then offer a detailed deconstruction of societal norms, and Vanishing World is no exception. The world of this novel is either a dystopia or a utopia depending on your point of view, and the story examines taboos around sex and relationships, the idea of parenthood and family, and whether individuality should be replaced with conformity. The book mixes darker scenes with moments of humour, and it certainly makes you query your own feelings about the subject matter as you read. In some ways it's a quick and easy read (I finished it in two sittings), but at the same time it sticks with you after you have turned the final page. Those familiar with the author will certainly find this book another gem. For those new to Murata's writing, this is probably a good place to start as it is not quite a dark as some of her other works. I am giving it 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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