Heaven: A Novel

I have a degree in English literature and have been an avid reader for 5 decades. This story was absolutely meaningless to me; there was no depth to the storyline or to the characters. Awful!

A school full of bullies and apparently no school supervision. Two bullied students who just accept all the abuse. Not well written. Just glad it was short so I didn’t waste too much time.

The story is narrated by a 14-year-old boy with a lazy eye. He is viciously bullied by the boys in his class at school. The punishment he suffers is overwhelming to him and adversely affects every part of his life. He is befriended by Kojima, a female classmate also subjected to bullying. She feels the two of them should be friends as they certainly understand each other. They write letters to each other and agree to get together outside the school but manage to do so rarely. Eventually their friendship becomes known to the bullies in the school. This leads to a shattering climax. Is bullying a crime? It should be and, as such, this book should be considered a crime fiction novel. However, given that it is considered literary fiction, it asks certain questions on the nature of suffering. Through these teenagers, there is a wisdom way beyond their years. Their conversations are unrealistic. For example, there is a scene where the narrator confronts one of the bullies and asks him why he does it. His response is quite profound essentially saying he simply doesn’t care about him. He means absolutely nothing to him. It is a frightening but realistic explanation. The climactic ending is surreal but the final scene gives hope in looking at the world in a new way. The book is relatively brief. The characters a bit too mature in thought and ideology for their age. Dialogue is unrealistic. The narrative, however, is compelling. This book is on the shortlist of the International Booker Awards. It is recommended for those that like a more literary thought provoking work

It’s a good book

guy gets bullied

2.5 stars I finished this in 2 days which for me is extremely fast. Usually when I read a book this fast is because I’m enjoying it but in this case I finished as fast as possible in hopes of getting a happy ending or at least an explanation. Unfortunately I got neither. At first, I was drawn in by the unique bond the 2 main characters shared and I was interested to see how they would help each grow and overcome their respective struggles. To my disappointment, neither happened. In the end it feels to me that both characters are worse off now than they were at the beginning of the book. I will say this author is incredible at immersing you in her scenes with her use of imagery, definitely the highlight of the book for me.

Heaven is a powerful and disturbing book about bullying. It is also about endurance. There are some profound observations and an examination of what victims of bullying may be thinking. We also get a glimpse into the thinking of one of the bullies. I always tell my students to look for the helpers and upstanders when witnessing or reading about horrible events. Sadly, there are no upstanders in this book. Two students that are being bullied find each other. They have several discussions about strength and weakness. How hurting and crying are different. These quotes are a good representation of the types of exchanges between the characters and one of their interpretations of the bullying. “The other kids, the rest of our class, they don’t understand anything. They have no idea what anything means. They don’t know how they make other people feel, and they’ve never stopped to think about other people’s pain. They’re just following along, doing what everyone else is doing.” “You think about how other people feel. You’re so kind. It makes sense. Because we’re always in pain, we know exactly what it means to hurt somebody else.” Above all, my biggest take away from Heaven is the power of the spoken and written word, to heal and to harm. One person has the power to lift someone up (bring them closer to Heaven) or knock them down (make their life Hell). I loved that the characters correspond through letters. A lost, but powerful art. Letters are physical reminders that bring the reader back to a specific time/place and connect them to the writer. Rereading and looking at those letters can bring healing and light during times of darkness and isolation. Heaven is hard to read because of the repeated, detailed episodes of bullying, but it is important to read on and bear witness, to feel discomfort and unease. For through this discomfort comes awareness and hopefully inspires a change in our world for the betterment of all.

Phew. This book is a definite emotional roller coaster, it’s super well written and immersed me so well that it was an unrealistic knee jerk when I put it down to come back to reality. If you can survive the growing knot of dread you’ll begin to develop as you invest emotionally in the MC and Kojima, then you’re in for a treat. But it was hard, there were many times I was certain of the outcome, held my breath as I turned the page, and was somehow surprised by a different result than I’d expected. Highly recommend this book, very well done!

Painful ...a must-read for anyone who values emotionally intelligent storytelling.

Ottimo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) „Heaven“ – ein radikaler Blick auf Gewalt, Macht und Würde Kurzfazit Mit Heaven (japanisch 2009, englische Übersetzung 2021/2022) legt Mieko Kawakami einen verstörenden, zugleich tief berührenden Roman vor. Er erzählt die Geschichte eines namenlosen 14-jährigen Jungen, der wegen seines Schielens in der Schule systematisch gemobbt wird, und seiner Freundschaft mit Kojima, einem ebenso ausgegrenzten Mädchen. Das Werk verbindet eine schonungslose Darstellung von Gewalt mit philosophischen Reflexionen über Leid, Moral und Menschlichkeit. Literarische Analyse Kawakamis Prosa ist präzise, direkt und von einer fast schmerzhaften Klarheit. Gewalt wird nicht beschönigt, sondern detailliert geschildert – zugleich verweigert sich die Autorin jeder plakativen Moral. Stattdessen zeigt sie, wie Opfer ihre Erfahrungen unterschiedlich deuten: Während Kojima Leid als Form der Erhebung verklärt, empfindet der Erzähler es als unerträgliche Erniedrigung. Diese Spannung macht den Kern des Romans aus. Der Titel Heaven verweist auf ein Bild, das Kojima dem Erzähler schenkt, und dient als Kontrast zu ihrer irdischen Qual – eine fragile Hoffnung auf Schönheit und Transzendenz. Einbettung in Literatur & Kultur Mieko Kawakami gilt als eine der bedeutendsten Stimmen der Gegenwartsliteratur Japans. International bekannt wurde sie mit Breasts and Eggs (Natsu monogatari), doch Heaven brachte ihr eine breite Anerkennung im Westen und die Shortlist des International Booker Prize 2022. Das Thema Mobbing ist in der japanischen Literatur und Gesellschaft stark präsent (vgl. Minoru Morita, Bullying in Japan’s Schools, 2010). Kawakami geht jedoch über eine Sozialkritik hinaus: Ihr Roman reiht sich in eine Tradition existenzialistischer Werke ein, die Gewalt nicht nur als soziales, sondern als philosophisches Problem begreifen – vergleichbar mit Kenzaburō Ōes A Personal Matter oder gar Dostojewskis Reflexionen über Leid. Trivia & Hintergrund Der Roman wurde von Sam Bett und David Boyd ins Englische übersetzt, die auch Kawakamis andere Werke ins Englische übertragen haben. In Japan wurde Heaven 2010 mit dem Murasaki Shikibu Prize for Literature ausgezeichnet. Kawakami selbst sagte in Interviews, sie wolle in Heaven zeigen, wie Gewalt „die Essenz dessen verändert, wer wir sind – und wie wir die Welt sehen“. Fazit Heaven ist ein schmerzlich schönes, radikal ehrliches Werk, das Gewalt nicht als Spektakel, sondern als menschliche Grundfrage behandelt. Literarisch präzise und philosophisch tief, gehört es zu den stärksten japanischen Romanen der letzten Jahrzehnte – ein Text, der lange nachhallt. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 von 5 Sternen

It’s such a great book. It’s a contemporary literature, the message is there, feelings are presented perfectly in the book. I would totally recommend to anyone.

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