Bee Reads Horror

Vanishing World is a dystopian book written by Sayaka Murata, it’s her latest novel to be translate into English and yeah this one is very strange. The New York Times called this “The Handmaid’s Tale on acid”, but it’s more like A Brave New World.

Quick Info

• Title: Vanishing World
• Author: Sayaka Murata (Author), Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)
• Publish Date: 15th April 2026
• Genre: Sci-fi
• Sub-Genre: Dystopian
• What to Expect:
  • Weird family structures
  • Obsessions with fictional characters
  • Cult-like behaviour
  • Generally strange

– Rating: 4 stars –

Synopsis

In a world, where everyone is born via artificial insemination, Amane stands out as she was born through the taboo act of procreation. She does her best to be like everyone around her but she is unsure of her role and identity. What does marriage, sex and love mean in a world that doesn’t need it?

Amane’s hometown is turned into Experiment City, where everyone raises the children collectively. When a chance for Amane and her husband to move, they do, but what does it mean for the children to be raised in such a strange environment.

My Thoughts

Unfortunately, this has been my least favourite Sayaka Murata book. I thought the majority of the book was great but the last 5 pages ruined it for me. It was unnecessary and doesn’t really provide any further meaning or substance to the themes. Even Earthlings – which had a likewise shocking ending – had an ending which upheld and further pushed the themes developed throughout the book. This did not do that.

The concept of this is super interesting and I found it hard to get my thoughts straight on it – in a good way. A society where sex is not necessary to reproduce is interesting and poses interesting questions about how we currently operate – especially as someone who could have kids but chooses not to. Would society be better if we didn’t have to have to have a partner to have a child? Would it be better if we treated marriages more like family than a romantic relationship? I don’t think so, but it is interesting and I could see the appeal to some people. I am asexual and have found Sayaka Murata’s work oddly relatable in this sense. Sex is such a dominant part of our culture, leaving that behind is very interesting – although Amane is definitely not asexual. This dystopian didn’t have a right or wrong side, which I liked because like our society it is nuanced and complex.

This has a wicked sense of humour too. All of Sayaka Murata’s work I would say have an absurdist quality to it, which I enjoy a lot. It won’t be for everyone, as some will find it over the top or distracting from the themes. This is a strange mix of surrealism and dystopian that I really enjoy. It definitely keeps the same narration and wit as her other works so if you like those you will like this one too.

Amane as a character is an interesting one, because on one hand, she is very interesting, with the duality of the world she was raised in versus the society she lives in but on the other hand I didn’t care for her as much as I wanted to. She is raised in a home where romantic love between a husband and wife is cherished but when she goes to school and talks to other people she realizes how strange this is and starts to reject it, although it’s always a part of her. We are products of our environment, especially growing up, Amane at her core is divided between these two realities. However, I think her character had everything a little too easy. She can have sex with people and have very little repercussions, no one really pushes back that much. Then the last few pages just completely ruins her character, I still don’t understand why she does it. I get the symbolism but the message and theme were already present.

If you want to see where this ranks alongside Sayaka Murata’s other translated works, you can read my ranking here.