Scattered All Over the Earth

Subtle complex. Leaves a trail of interesting tidbits. Bits of the prose are so good, want to read several times and snipclip for later.

I enjoyed very much, the playful treatment of language and perspective. I will read more from this author!

The book is weird and interesting but also kind of boring until the last chapter or so which I thought was pretty funny and really enjoyed. It’s funny because I’m my impression of the book I think huh, there wasn’t much action there, but also there was a lot of movement around and different people meeting up. It doesn’t seem like a book that will stick with me, but only time can tell.

I keep listening to it because it continually makes my jaw drop or eyebrows fly up. If this is widely acclaimed in Japan, it must be losing A LOT in translation! The dialog is bizarre, analogies are puzzling, situations arise that seem quite unlikely, and the plot, if there is one, is simply juvenile. I was playing with a new writing pen, so I started scribbling down one weird phrase after another: one that I picked up on was from someone talking to his mother on the phone, "I pressed my hand down on the top of my head to lower my voice," and a minute later, "I pressed my head down harder to make my voice lower." I will say that the narrator's voice is fairly soothing - which, to me, is sometimes more important than content. I will probably not want to read the book, but may listen to it again, just for the weirdness factor ... it at least amuses. I will also keep a pen and paper handy to jot down the occasional moment of the "I don't believe I just heard that" variety.

Based on the glowing reviews and the plot summary, I had high expectations for this novel. I teach English, so I was intrigued by the reflections on language and identity. At first, it seemed like this was going to follow a sort of hero's journey motif, but nothing much really happens in the novel and the writing is a bit uneven. There are some really exquisitely written passages but there are some other sections that are overly wordy and boring. I rushed through the final chapter to be done. The novel also comes across as transphobic -- I am not sure if this is an error in translation or by design (perhaps a really smart commentary on how labeling gender is arbitrary--but I feel like that may be giving the book too much credit). Simply put, a trans character is misgendered by every character and by the narrator. The novel is set in the future and yet somehow a character has "never seen a man dressed in woman's clothing?" Not likely. I believe this book is the first in a series so perhaps it is providing context for the novels to come.

The book is sleepy and has little plot. It is compared to Canterbury Tales, but honestly you'd be better off reading Canterbury Tales instead because they are not on the same level. Scattered All Over the Earth has a poetic rhythm to its language but the story is random and unrealistic. The setting is confusing AF. It is not so far into the future because a survivor from the division of East and West Germany is featured in Hiruko's interview, but it is far enough that sexual instinct has somehow died out in Japan via evolution??? It was not a horrible read but imo the author tried too hard to sound wise and philosophical by making the characters analyze themselves and their actions in an unnatural way.

Lack of plot or anything or anyone of interest Scattered All Over.One of the most pointless reads that I have ever experienced

A novel about the perennial search for identity with a checklist of banal references to all of today's hot cultural topics. I struggled to connect with the characters (maybe the point?). The inner monologues were particularly shallow and inane.