Earthlings

Natsuki has always felt like an outsider, navigating a world she perceives as the "Baby Factory," a system designed for endless conformity and procreation. As a child, she finds solace in the belief that she is an alien from the planet Popinpobopia, bestowed with magical powers by her plush toy, Piyyut, who is also an alien on a mission to save Earth. Her only confidant is her cousin Yuu, who shares her sense of otherness and her secret world of fantasy.

Years later, Natsuki lives a quiet life with an asexual husband in a marriage of convenience, attempting to appear normal while still haunted by the shadows of her childhood and the societal pressure to conform. When a reunion with Yuu rekindles their shared desire to escape the confines of human society, they embark on a journey that challenges the boundaries of reality and delves into the extreme lengths individuals will go to find freedom and belonging. From the author of the international bestseller, "Convenience Store Woman," Sayaka Murata presents a narrative that is both dreamlike and unsettling, prompting readers to question the true meaning of happiness in a stifling world.