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Heaven, by Mieko Kawakami (2009, transl. 2021)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Premise: Two bullied Japanese teenagers form a tenuous friendship.

Review: This was a very hard read. The descriptions of the bullying the two main characters experience are vivid and intense, and increase in severity as the book goes on. ⬇️

This is a harrowing read. I kept wondering why doesn‘t anyone do anything for these kids? Are there no teachers around to help or has this bullying become so normalized that it‘s ignored? It‘s thought-provoking for sure, this book, it‘s uncomfortable and it‘s troubling.

4/5 🌟

Mieko Kawakami is undoubtedly my favourite Japanese author. I adore her writing style and her unique perspective on various themes. In 'Heaven,' she delves into the question of bullying and suffering. It offers a distinctive outlook on bullying, from both the perpetrator's and the victim's perspectives.

It really captures the loneliness within us. The strength of weakness.

I knew nothing about ‘Heaven‘ when I decided to read it — I didn‘t read the blurb, I just really loved ‘Breasts and Eggs‘. This was a difficult and sad read. I give it 3⭐️ but it‘s still a pick for me. It hurt but I‘m glad I read it.

You think about how other people feel. You‘re so kind. It makes sense. Because we‘re always in pain, we know exactly what it means to hurt somebody else.

How do we add books to litsy? I couldn‘t find the entry for this short story.

Starting this today.

Here‘s my ditto from Pokémon Go Fest NYC! I waited 2 hours in the merch line to get plushies lol, but no regrets. He‘s adorable ☺️

I will probably finish this short book tomorrow! Not an easy read- very graphic and brutal!
It‘s about two teenagers who are been heavily bullied at school. Philosophical at times, maybe not much of a deeper story or character development but it is still stirring me up lots, so I will probably rate it 5/5🌟

This was really hard to read at times, not just the brutal scenes but the overall tone of it - I want to say ‘sad‘ tone but that doesn‘t do it justice. A pick because I liked the writing and the philosophical aspect of it but I found it unsettling to read. #tbrtarot

“But I wasn‘t crying because I was sad. I guess I was crying because we had nowhere else to go, no choice but to go on living in this world. Crying because we had no other world to choose, and crying at everything before us, everything around us.”

- 3⭐️

TW: Bullying

Heaven is written from the perspective of two teenagers who are brutally bullied at school and the helplessness they feel. It‘s a take on how the world is unforgiving toward those who cannot defend themselves. But if you‘re triggered by descriptions of bullying, please proceed with caution because the book is very very graphic in this regard. I like that the author didn‘t offer any easy solutions and presented it as it is.

Thanks so much Jo! @PuddleJumper beautiful gifts both wrapped and unwrapped! And thanks so much @MaleficentBookDragon Chelle for hosting! #jolabokaflod

Probably triggering if you‘ve been bullied as the descriptions are vicious and relentless. Writing is easy & evocative but I‘ve never been keen on adults narrating as a teen for an adult book. Despite its simplicity this isn‘t a YA book though: For example there‘s no revenge/fight back cliches or any kind of solution. It does offer some philosophy but it‘s flimsy & brief. The story feels unfinished, shallow even, but saying why will give spoilers.

Fun bookmail to come home to! Thank you so much @BarbaraBB and I adore how the lovely postcard goes with the book 💕

(This short book's not in the database; tagging the other Kawakami I really liked.)

A short but impactful read where two people come together through their shared experience of bullying. Difficult and sad to read at times but well worth it

This is an intense yet touching book. Talks about bullying, suicide. What was good was how bullying is touched both from bullied and the one who bullied‘s POV.

My first book by Mieko Kawakami, & now I want to read everything else by her. This book about bullying & the two teens who strike up an unusual friendship over their shared condition of being victimised is deeply philosophical—interviews with Kawakami suggest an exploration of Nietzsche‘s concepts of power. It is the coolly detached bully-by-association, Momose, whom I found disturbing. He‘s the libertarian bro we find everywhere in our spaces.

I‘m going to attempt to get up to date with my #InternationalBookerPrize2022 reviews this weekend. apologies in advance!

#UnpopularOpinion - this has made the shortlist, and I understand why. It‘s a powerful but incredibly bleak and graphic look at school bullying, with the two young characters philosophising over why they‘re bullied and how to react.

https://youtu.be/ajlEhwXlUaQ

A playlist of all episodes in the Bite-sized Book Chat series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-61cZp1pQdBH5V0Zb9q-2ujl4PY8nhf

Chat #1: with David from the American Heartland

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
Sam Bett (Translator), David Boyd (Translator)

Breasts and Eggs - Mieko Kawakami, Sam Bett (Translator), David Boyd (Translator)

This beautiful book was really difficult to read at times, although I‘m glad I did. Kawakami deftly captured the experiences of the young characters, and I think did justice to the complexity of thoughts and emotions of youth. She doesn‘t oversimplify. It is a heartbreaking story in many ways, and a solid pick.

Sorry book, I‘m just not feeling you at the moment. I feel that the translation I‘m reading is keeping me at a distance so I doesn‘t care what happens with the two characters. I also spotted some spelling mistakes at the beginning that didn‘t help.

#BookReport 12/22

Another awesome week. Such good books. All of them. Favorite though is The Burgess Boys!

Heaven tells the story of a boy and a girl who are relentlessly bullied at middle school. They find solace in each other‘s company and try to find explanations for what‘s happening and how they both react to it, in order for it to make sense.

It‘s a well written brutal novella and it broke my heart. #InternationalBookerPrize2022

CW for violence, harm to children, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, self-harm.

Oof. Well I went looking for books from the new Booker International Prize longlist for 2022, and found this one in #hoopla. It was originally published in Japan in 2009, and published in the English translation by Sam Bett and David Boyd, the same team that translated Breasts and Eggs. ↘️

⭐️ Current Reads: Meet Isabel Puddles by M. V. Byrne and Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie

⭐️ Fav book of January: Heaven (tagged)

⭐️ Most recent library checkout: The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

5🌟Kawakami beautifully and poignantly explores the meaning behind and the experiencing of violence while also showing the comforts friendship can bring in this coming-of-age story. This book was so good and the translation was excellently done!! An emotional ride, I was so sucked into this slim novel. It was sad and hard to read but I couldn't put it down despite this. Highly reccomend this one! Can't wait to read Breasts and Eggs! #bookreview

This weekend‘s #bookstorehaul 😊📚

1. Oh, definitely. I‘ve picked up books I normally wouldn‘t pay much attention too just because the title sounded cool and stuck with me.
2. Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

#Two4Tuesday

Exploring themes of high school bullying, & identity, this is a difficult book to read & recommend. Two classmates who are being bullied find solace in friendship. But each has a different view of why they‘re the victims & ways dealing with it. The descriptive details of bullying & violence, the nonchalant philosophy of one of the bullies, are distressing to read. The conclusion leaves the two friends‘ fate uncertain but I felt hopeful for them.

Asian women writers in translation list link!

https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/11-translated-books-by-as...

This book is about bullying.

It's a really impressive debut novel that was recently translated to English. It's about 2 misfits that become friends because they understand each other. So it's about friendship but it's also about bullying and depression and all that entails.

#BookSpinBingo free space
@TheAromaofBooks

My son starts middle school next week and the extreme bullying in this book (of two middle school students) made it hard for me to get through, even though it's less than 200 pages. It was an excellent book though. I didn't love it like I loved her other two books, but it's still a pick.

The story is about two school kids and their friendship, based on being outcasts. The author gives the characters a lot of depth, but I found the story of their bullying not really going anywhere.

When a desk or vase gets scratched, it doesn‘t show you how it‘s hurting. If we keep doing this, just saying nothing, no matter what they do, think maybe we‘ll become things too? That‘s what we are to them.

As we've come to expect from Kawakami, Heaven is a little dark, a little weird, and very visceral. This one will put you in a strange headspace. It‘s quite a bummer, but still beautifully written and passionately felt. It‘s one I‘m not sure I would “recommend”, it won‘t be to everyone‘s taste, but it‘s one that lingered with me for days. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/new-releases/

#JuneWrapUp
I was really looking forward to Heaven after enjoying Breasts and Eggs so much, and I‘m pleased to say I really liked it. Heaven was my favorite of the month followed by Midnight in Chernobyl, but there really weren‘t any duds this month.

Total: 6
Print: 2
Ebook: 2
Audio: 2
Fiction: 2
Nonfiction: 4

#booked2021: 1
#friendrecchallenge: 0

Deck reading is the best. Thank you humidity for taking a hike…for tonight.

My library hold came in! I‘m really looking forward to starting this one. I read Breasts and Eggs back in February and loved it. I hope this one will be a great read too.
#catsoflitsy #Ember

The unnamed narrator of this novel has a lazy eye and is constantly beaten by classmates. A girl who is equally bullied begins a correspondence with him. Despite differences, they become close until the climax reveals how truly different they are.

The only thing that took me out of the narrative was a bully that has too cogent a theory about it for his age. Despite this and the at times difficult-to-stomach violence, Heaven is a definite pick.

(US) #NewRelease #bookmail!! I loved B&E, so I‘m excited for this one! #CoverLove

Oof what a book. About two kids who are being brutally bullied. It‘s a tough read with a lot to unpack. But it is powerful. This one comes out in the states in May. Going to check out Kawakami‘s Breasts and Eggs next.

Been eagerly anticipating this one!

French anyone? I got this great book and it‘s in French!!! And I can‘t return it 😕 if anyone is interested I‘ll mail it to you. I got it since it is one of the most promising writers per Haruki Murakami...