世界99 上

by Sayaka Murata, 村田 沙耶香

この世はすべて、世界に媚びるための祭り。

性格のない人間・如月空子。
彼女の特技は、〈呼応〉と〈トレース〉を駆使し、コミュニティごとにふさわしい人格を作りあげること。「安全」と「楽ちん」だけを指標にキャラクターを使い分け、日々を生き延びてきた。
空子の生きる世界には、ピョコルンがいる。
ふわふわの白い毛、つぶらな黒い目、甘い鳴き声、どこをとってもかわいい生き物。
当初はペットに過ぎない存在だったが、やがて技術が進み、ピョコルンがとある能力を備えたことで、世の中は様相を変え始める。

３年以上にわたる著者初の長期連載がついに書籍化。
村田沙耶香の現時点の全てが詰め込まれた、全世界待望のディストピア大長編！

432 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2025

About the author

Sayaka Murata (in Japanese, 村田 沙耶香) is one of the most exciting up-and-coming writers in Japan today.
She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which gave her the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman (Konbini Ningen). She debuted in 2003 with Junyu (Breastfeeding), which won the Gunzo Prize for new writers. In 2009 she won the Noma Prize for New Writers with Gin iro no uta (Silver Song), and in 2013 the Mishima Yukio Prize for Shiro-oro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City). Convenience Store Woman won the 2016 Akutagawa Award. Murata has two short stories published in English (both translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori): "Lover on the Breeze" (Ruptured Fiction(s) of the Earthquake, Waseda Bungaku, 2011) and "A Clean Marriage" (Granta 127: Japan, 2014).

Reviews

[CJ Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pretty much the pinnacle of Murata’s work and combines so many ideas she has explored previously. The ending of the first half is absolutely bonkers and I really wish it stopped there as I think the second half is not as impactful (there’s less exploration of the main character and more of society itself, which I don’t think lends itself to as much content as the first half). The idea of a character who bases themselves solely on their relationships to other and reactions of their peers is executed fantastically and the comparison to another similar character gave me lots of food for thought. This book is HARD to read as it is completely unrelenting in it’s extremely negative depiction of society, but it’s well worth it in the long run.

[石井優馨 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was powerful—not calm or soothing at all—and it felt emotionally draining to read. To put it simply, I think it was a satirical take on various social issues. For example: discrimination against foreigners, the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged, the sense of apathy toward the future held by those who feel they don’t need to try because they aren’t among the fortunate, political indifference, outdated gender norms from previous generations that favor men, and the structural problems in society that give rise to sexual violence. It felt like the author turned all of these issues into a dystopian story.
I get the sense that this might be a common style for Sayaka Murata, the author—though I can’t say for sure, since the only other book I’ve read by her is Convenience Store Woman, which, if I remember correctly, also had a similar tone.
As for the ending—I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret it. I’d love to hear what others thought if they’ve read this book!

この本はパワーがある本というか、穏やかな本では全くなくて読むのに精神を使うような本だった。端的にいうと色々な社会における問題を風刺するような本だったと思う。例えば外国人差別、恵まれた人とそうでない人、そして自分は恵まれていない側だから努力する必要がないだろうとする将来に対する無気力感、政治に関する無関心、少し前の世代の男性優位的な偏ったジェンダー観、性犯罪を生み出す社会的構造など。多様な問題を物語にしてディストピアとして昇華させたような作品だった。この本の作者である村田沙耶香さんはそのような作風が多いのかもしれない、他にコンビニ人間しか読んだことがないので定かではないけど、コンビニ人間もそのような作風だった覚えがある。最後の終わり方に関してはこれをどう捉えれば良いのかよく分からなかった。この本を読んだ人がいたら意見交換したい！　

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audibleのみ。本も読みたいくらい面白い。
圧倒的な世界観。

ピョコルンもラロロリン人もついそんな未来もあるなを感じられた。下巻に続く際の展開最高。