Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Diario de un vacío by Emi Yagi

12 reviews

kurumipanda's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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amy_reading_23's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

This book is an interesting kind of mix between literary fiction and magical realism. The protagonist is an unreliable narrator as she admits throughout the book to telling lies, but whether she is lying to her coworkers, herself, the reader, or all the above -- you're not sure.

For the first two thirds of the book it seems clear she is lying about being pregnant. But as the book goes on she does get pregnancy symptoms, starts seeing a doctor, feels her baby kick etc. But after the baby is "born" she goes back to saying there is no baby and that she is lying to her coworkers again. So what is true? Was she pregnant or not? I'm not sure. I think there is a surreal feeling to the book and that you're not really supposed to know. She compares herself to mother Mary and immaculate conception a few times. Also at the end she is in pain a lot and wakes up bleeding so it's also possible she was pregnant but lost the baby. I think it is also possible she was SA'd and that ended in her getting pregnant and then lying to herself. Because there is mentions of some SA in her past. I'm really not sure.


Whether the protagonist is really pregnant or not I guess that doesn't matter as much because what the book is really about is how women are treated in Japan at work Vs when they're pregnant. It does have some interesting social commentary but I wish it went deeper into it. 

I've read three Japanese books this year and I'm not sure if this is a cultural thing or due to the translation or if its just the books I've been reading, but the characters seem quite passive to me and we don't get to see the full interior of their personalities. I think that's a shame as it makes it a bit harder to really empathise with the characters. The protagonist in this book feels a bit one dimensional. She likes going to gigs in her free time and watching movies and she's obviously got some feminist ideas, but a part from that, even after reading the book, I don't feel like I really know her. That's why the book only got 3 stars for me. It was a fine read, but for me it was missing something. 

Trigger warning for fatphobia, the character talks about wanting to lose weight a lot and frequent exercising. 
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joensign's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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annaonthepage's review against another edition

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Triggering content.
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azalya01's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I thought this book was a very beautiful exploration of loneliness and discontent, and how human connection is a lot more precious than we may realize in our day-to-day lives. I found the slow and detailed narration of this story to be comforting and it endeared me quite a lot to the main character. I felt myself resonating with her feelings, and I appreciated the expression of her complex heartache framed in such relatable moments in time. I'm glad I read this book, and recommend it highly.
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sea_sea's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Very interesting, but also confusing book, about a woman who fakes her pregnancy. 
You never really find out why exactly she does it and at some point it seems like her brain has actually convinced her body that she is pregnant.
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marlzipan's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Feminist protest can take all kinds of forms - Diary of a Void is an unusual yet highly effective take from Japanese author Emi Yagi. We follow Shibata-san, a fed-up, worn-out office worker as she (accidentally) attempts the ultimate workplace heist - faking a pregnancy. This is a darkly funny, poignantly relatable and thought-provoking book, tackling themes of loneliness, work-life balance and gender norms in modern Japan. It was so refreshing to see a woman’s voice like this in translation. 
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3arth2kaye's review against another edition

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4.0

This was insane?????
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baymax's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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abnormal_shadow's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

She keeps referring to it has her baby, she goes to the doctor and mommy aerobics class, she joins a group of expecting mothers. She is so deeply intraled in this lie she starts to believe it herself. She talks to the virgin Mary sometimes, talks about what I must have felt like for her and seeks comfort in this construct. She never had the baby, she uses a mom on Instagram baby as hers, Soroto when people want to see.
It is amazing and complicated and truly a good read or listen.
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