PositiveSpectrum CultureWhile accusations of being formulaic hold some truth, the book is perceptive and relatable underneath its \'milk and cookies exterior ... The [characters are] introduced, after a slow and somewhat aslant introductory chapter, as they embark on their first ever family holiday. This neatly sets up the interpersonal dynamics and lays the foundations for the perfectly unremarkable, perfectly believable events that follow ... It’s this family love that shines through in the book. The Garretts may be dysfunctional and disconnected, but Tyler convincingly shows that, to loop back to the book’s opening chapter, there’s more than one way of being close.
Sayaka Murata, tr. Ginny Tapley Takemori
PositiveSpectrum Culture...internal conflict is conveyed in prose that becomes ever more unreliable. It’s never clear whether a handful of key events are real or an extension of Natsuki’s coping mechanism and sign of mental trauma. The sense of unreality is heightened by the tonally flat style of writing, which maintains a steady pace and neutrality that lends abuse and stuffed toys the same amount of emotional weight. The prose style fits its subject matter – capturing the emotional deadness of a woman who’s disassociated from her own body – but it also means there’s no real sense of narrative suspense. It also means that while the book has plenty of black humour it’s hard to connect with any of the characters or to be truly shocked by the finale.
