Earthlings

My Thoughts

At first, I wasn’t sure what this book was trying to say. It started off confusing and quiet, but gradually became more intense and unpredictable. The level of "what is going on?!" kept rising with each chapter. By the final stretch, I couldn’t stop reading—it was gripping, weird, and impossible to predict. The ending left me shocked in the best way. I loved it.

Plot Summary (Spoilers)

• Natsuki and her cousin Yuu form a strong bond as children and make a secret pact to escape Earth, believing they are aliens sent from another planet.
• As an adult, she marries Tomoya in a purely practical relationship—no romance, no intimacy—just to avoid the pressure to have children and live a "normal" life.
• Eventually, Natsuki, Yuu, and Tomoya retreat to an abandoned house in the mountains. They want to completely disconnect from what they call "the Factory"—a metaphor for society’s demands to conform, reproduce, and contribute.
• In the mountains, they cut off contact with the outside world. Over time, their thinking becomes more extreme. They no longer see themselves as human and believe they are evolving into something else.
• With supplies running out, they begin to eat human flesh, including from among themselves. For the first time, Natsuki finds joy in eating—marking a strange and unsettling shift in her emotional state.
• In the final scene, Natsuki’s younger sister and others find them. The three appear strangely calm and proud, but their bodies are unnaturally swollen.
• The novel ends ambiguously. It's unclear whether they’ve truly "transformed" or simply lost their grip on reality. Either way, it’s haunting and unforgettable.