BSG #109: Everyone is Mother (Slay) / Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Mary, Kelli, and Emily convene to talk about Vanishing World, the latest work by Sayaka Murata to be translated into English. When Amane finds out she was conceived in an unnatural way, it sets her up for a lifetime of mental anguish. Will Amane find her place in normative society? Will she have a child the “right” way? As usual Murata takes us on a wild ride with twists no one saw coming! We discuss how uncomfortable this book made us feel for a variety of reasons, and also talk about Murata’s profile in the New Yorker which left us with more questions than answers. Then, we address an unexpected piece of feedback from the blog.TOC::30–Welcome! And congrats, Susan!14:25–Book intro and a big ole content warning18:34–the basic premise of the novel24:09–Murata’s “Alien Eye”39:12–“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking”46:25–Deriving pleasure from your uterus49:30–So, the ending. The pivot.59:00–What is she trying to say?1:09:47–Ratings1:11:22– Survive the Night feedback1:20:44– What’s up next?Links:Sayaka Murata interview: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/14/sayaka-muratas-alien-eyeWithCindy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEWdtN0l0Is Emily and Mary talk Survive the Night: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/survive-the-book-mary-and-emily-read-riley-sager