Fiction

Heaven

Heaven

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  • Create Date：2022-06-23 09:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mieko Kawakami
  • ISBN：1509898255
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Summary

From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami， comes a sharp and illuminating novel about a fourteen-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying。

In Heaven， a fourteen-year old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye。 Instead of resisting， he chooses to suffer in silence。 The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate， Kojima， who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies。 Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most， the two young friends grow closer than ever。 But what， ultimately， is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror？

Unflinching yet tender， sharply observed， intimate and multi-layered， this simple yet profound novel stands as yet another dazzling testament to Mieko Kawakami’s uncontainable talent。 There can be little doubt that it has cemented her reputation as one of the most important young authors at work today。

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Reviews

Sara Hughes ，

definitely a difficult book to read， i had to skip the passages that went into the brutal bullying in explicit detail。 i found this book slightly disappointing， mostly due to the thin philosophical discussions between the two main characters。

eggtart ，

This book was good until it reached page 130 （somewhere around there I forgot） and then it just plummeted。 Like a stone in water。 The bullying was so intense and horrifying that I had a hard time reading it and I did feel that it was too forced。 Writing the bullying for the sake of a scene instead of letting it happen in a flow。 Then Eyes met Momose in the hospital and suddenly began talking to him and Momose just starts spouting out philosophical bullshit that I had a hard time suspending my di This book was good until it reached page 130 （somewhere around there I forgot） and then it just plummeted。 Like a stone in water。 The bullying was so intense and horrifying that I had a hard time reading it and I did feel that it was too forced。 Writing the bullying for the sake of a scene instead of letting it happen in a flow。 Then Eyes met Momose in the hospital and suddenly began talking to him and Momose just starts spouting out philosophical bullshit that I had a hard time suspending my disbelief。 It just made no sense。 Truly。 Then I realized that the whole book made no sense。 The scene in the rain at the end- I still can’t wrap my head around it。 The one part that actually got to me in this book was the mention of suicide briefly。 The nihilistic thoughts。 I cried。 Overall， I’m still very perplexed about this book， I don’t think I would recommend it but at the same time maybe？ 。。。more

Ranpo ，

3。75 （the 。75 for its ability to keep me on edge， frustrated）

Niki Szabó ，

3。5⭐️

Nate Stevens ，

Russian literature by way of the Japanese classroom。

Keenan ，

I would best describe reading Heaven as being "often uncomfortable"。 Vivid scenes of the main character getting ruthlessly and violently bullied along with the long descriptions of the depressing victim complex that such bullying engenders。 The plot is simple enough and serves mainly as a backdrop for the philosophical musings of the book's teenage bullies and their victims。 Overall this is an interesting take on a discomforting topic， one which I think would be better served by a more fleshed o I would best describe reading Heaven as being "often uncomfortable"。 Vivid scenes of the main character getting ruthlessly and violently bullied along with the long descriptions of the depressing victim complex that such bullying engenders。 The plot is simple enough and serves mainly as a backdrop for the philosophical musings of the book's teenage bullies and their victims。 Overall this is an interesting take on a discomforting topic， one which I think would be better served by a more fleshed out and challenging text。 。。。more

JJ ，

After the dazzlingly original page-turner that was Breasts and Eggs， I must say that I found this novel rather underwhelming。 It's a stripped-down story with few characters。 I did appreciate the taut narrative。 Beyond the first 50 pages or so， the momentum definitely picked up。 Parts of it were quite moving too， in a sad yet beautiful way， and it was quite nice to see things end on a hopeful note。 However， the book simply lacks the fresh， brilliant voice that I know the author is capable of。 And After the dazzlingly original page-turner that was Breasts and Eggs， I must say that I found this novel rather underwhelming。 It's a stripped-down story with few characters。 I did appreciate the taut narrative。 Beyond the first 50 pages or so， the momentum definitely picked up。 Parts of it were quite moving too， in a sad yet beautiful way， and it was quite nice to see things end on a hopeful note。 However， the book simply lacks the fresh， brilliant voice that I know the author is capable of。 And something about the premise didn't feel entirely believable。 Moreover， certain sentences came across as somewhat lazy。 Perhaps the translation was rushed。 Either way， I'm very much looking forward to her next translated work （which seems slated to come out soon）！ 。。。more

Emily Winecke ，

A pretty harrowing tale of two 14-year-olds who bond because they're both the target of middle school bullies。 There isn't much plot， but there's a ton of violence。 The biggest gestures in the book come from the meaningful dialogue between the two protagonists as they try to understand the violence they face and how to move forward。 This is beautifully written。 A pretty harrowing tale of two 14-year-olds who bond because they're both the target of middle school bullies。 There isn't much plot， but there's a ton of violence。 The biggest gestures in the book come from the meaningful dialogue between the two protagonists as they try to understand the violence they face and how to move forward。 This is beautifully written。 。。。more

Genevieve Warren ，

Thought provoking and intense。 The descriptive writing was beautiful and added another layer to the plot。

Kurt Jensen ，

Constantly devastating。 Achingly realistic。 Thought-provoking。

Nicoline ，

I honestly do not know how to feel about this book。 I really is just a very sad story about getting bullied。 It wasnt very much happening， I think the main thing Mieko wanted to shed a light on was the philosophy we resived。 Somethings i could understand and other things i couldnt get my mind completely around。 I found myself understanding more and relating to how the mc preseption of how things worked sometimes。 Like i said i honestly do not know how to feel about this book， it didnt really giv I honestly do not know how to feel about this book。 I really is just a very sad story about getting bullied。 It wasnt very much happening， I think the main thing Mieko wanted to shed a light on was the philosophy we resived。 Somethings i could understand and other things i couldnt get my mind completely around。 I found myself understanding more and relating to how the mc preseption of how things worked sometimes。 Like i said i honestly do not know how to feel about this book， it didnt really give me much other than just disturbing scenes of bullying:（ 。。。more

tima ，

solid 4/5， such a sad book with a bittersweet ending :（

Tiisetso ，

Great story， fantastic writing really but I feel like something is missing （I'm done reading but it genuinely doesn't feel that way）。 At some point， I felt like it was forced （the conversation between the protagonist and Mimose？）， it felt like 14-year-olds trying to be too philosophical and lacked emotion。We know what heaven meant in the context of the book eventually but in the end， a little represented that so what was the point？ I don't know， I'm just confused。 Great story， fantastic writing really but I feel like something is missing （I'm done reading but it genuinely doesn't feel that way）。 At some point， I felt like it was forced （the conversation between the protagonist and Mimose？）， it felt like 14-year-olds trying to be too philosophical and lacked emotion。We know what heaven meant in the context of the book eventually but in the end， a little represented that so what was the point？ I don't know， I'm just confused。 。。。more

jo ，

I don't read Japanese books a lot because I tend to not be able to relate to them but I thought this book was great， albeit a bit。。。 triggering， graphic， and also ended in a （I think） cliffhanger。 I don't really like books that makes me think about the endings。 I like definite endings， and the ending of this book wasn't quite how I wanted it to be。 It wasn't very clear， but I guess that's the intention。 I don't really see the point of Kojima's character， I guess it's to change the plot and to gi I don't read Japanese books a lot because I tend to not be able to relate to them but I thought this book was great， albeit a bit。。。 triggering， graphic， and also ended in a （I think） cliffhanger。 I don't really like books that makes me think about the endings。 I like definite endings， and the ending of this book wasn't quite how I wanted it to be。 It wasn't very clear， but I guess that's the intention。 I don't really see the point of Kojima's character， I guess it's to change the plot and to give the main character somewhat of a character development （although not very noticeable and great） but other than that I just can't quite relate or get immersed in their relation/friend-ship。 I guess they were both anchors for each other， but then what。。。 the book didn't conclude their relationship in the end。 Maybe it's in the metaphors though I must say I don't really care for them。 This was a gruesome and evil side of real life—as is what the writer is good at， I believe—it was great book but in a really really uncomfortable way。 Did I enjoy it？ Not really。 But did I enjoy my time while reading it？ Absolutely。 I would recommend this book to people who adores Japanese book—in which these books are always quite explicit—and people who likes raw and true story， such as Human Acts by Han Kang。 。。。more

wrdgrublve ，

This didn't do it for me， and I can't really see why this got shortlisted for the international booker， or why there is so much hype surrounding it。 From my perspective the main idea Kawakami works on here， is a kind of antagonism between an essentially nihilistic perspective （i。e。 nothing really matters， or maybe， be powerful if you can， for as long as you can， until you can't） and a kind of ascetic fetishism， whereby everything matters， and poverty and suffering means most of all。I found this This didn't do it for me， and I can't really see why this got shortlisted for the international booker， or why there is so much hype surrounding it。 From my perspective the main idea Kawakami works on here， is a kind of antagonism between an essentially nihilistic perspective （i。e。 nothing really matters， or maybe， be powerful if you can， for as long as you can， until you can't） and a kind of ascetic fetishism， whereby everything matters， and poverty and suffering means most of all。I found this tension interesting， but relatively shallow， and despite vast differences between the characters they all seemed to speak with a similar voice。 Parts of the book moved me greatly， and I particularly liked the ending， despite it being a little cheesy。 。。。more

Yomna Suwaydan ，

It's almost unfair how Mieko Kawakami destructs your hopes throughout the book; causing you an urge to yell and cry and a feeling that you have to do something to make the world explode， and then end the story as if nothing has happened。Bullying is a tough subject， far tougher when it causes no guilt， when the people who bully don't know how to feel sorry， don't know how to feel at all。 tougher though when you're too exhausted of the complexity of all that's happening to such an extent that make It's almost unfair how Mieko Kawakami destructs your hopes throughout the book; causing you an urge to yell and cry and a feeling that you have to do something to make the world explode， and then end the story as if nothing has happened。Bullying is a tough subject， far tougher when it causes no guilt， when the people who bully don't know how to feel sorry， don't know how to feel at all。 tougher though when you're too exhausted of the complexity of all that's happening to such an extent that makes you not able to talk。I got mad at some point， thinking why someone getting hurt stands still without making something to defend themselves。 Out of fact they're weak？ Grow strong， then！ Work on yourself， grow muscles and just hit them when they think of hitting you next time！ Yes， this can't do with all types of bullying， yes， but I just keep remembering Anne Frank's words in her diary: 'I can't imagine anyone can say "I'm weak" and then remain so。'At other points， though， I felt as if everything is meaningless; the world is meaningless and resistance is meaningless and strength and weakness are meaningless。 Kawakami has such an ability to put you in that mood。 And then， in the end， she makes you believe that everything will be okay， restoring the hope she has taken from you through the book again。 。。。more

max ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 the ending with the whole class telling kojima and the boy to undress felt kinda unrealistic to me and overdramatic but maybe it used to happen at that time？ but this whole book wrecked me emotionally in the best way。i dont cry cause of books but in the end where he says "that was the last time i saw kojima" I WAS LIKE NOOOO O O O O O O OOOO both of them deserve so much better and i wish the boy just knocked all the bullies with a rock but i liked the ending still <3def a must read so many beaut the ending with the whole class telling kojima and the boy to undress felt kinda unrealistic to me and overdramatic but maybe it used to happen at that time？ but this whole book wrecked me emotionally in the best way。i dont cry cause of books but in the end where he says "that was the last time i saw kojima" I WAS LIKE NOOOO O O O O O O OOOO both of them deserve so much better and i wish the boy just knocked all the bullies with a rock but i liked the ending still <3def a must read so many beautiful qoutes 。。。more

Sara ，

Raw， real， sad。

Coos Burton ，

Pronto la reseña-

Mari ，

nil got this bc I saw it on Instagram。 it was ok

MAi ，

صراحة اراء ومشاعر متلخطبة على الرواية انا ضد تربية الأطفال على أن التنمر شي يستسلم له ومايقاوم اي عنف لفظي وجسدي يتعرض له 。وانا ملاحظة هذي الأيام الميديا تصور الشخص على انه الأكبر عقلاً وان المتنمر شرير （وانا ما انكر） لكن الواحد مايعرف الأذى النفسي اللي يوصل للطفل اللي يتعرض له والحل الوحيد اننا نربي الاطفال على انهم يردون بعشر لو احد تنمر عليهم حجة الكاتبة هنا ضعيفة ولو ان قلبي انقطع مليون قطعة على الاشياء الشنيعة اللي صارت للرواي بس اظن ان الراويه مره منفصله عن الواقع من ناحية معالجة القضية ي صراحة اراء ومشاعر متلخطبة على الرواية انا ضد تربية الأطفال على أن التنمر شي يستسلم له ومايقاوم اي عنف لفظي وجسدي يتعرض له 。وانا ملاحظة هذي الأيام الميديا تصور الشخص على انه الأكبر عقلاً وان المتنمر شرير （وانا ما انكر） لكن الواحد مايعرف الأذى النفسي اللي يوصل للطفل اللي يتعرض له والحل الوحيد اننا نربي الاطفال على انهم يردون بعشر لو احد تنمر عليهم حجة الكاتبة هنا ضعيفة ولو ان قلبي انقطع مليون قطعة على الاشياء الشنيعة اللي صارت للرواي بس اظن ان الراويه مره منفصله عن الواقع من ناحية معالجة القضية يعني بدل مانعرضها بشكل معقول عرضتها على شكل قوي وضعيف مع انهم كلهم اطفال اكيد الطفل المتنمر تعرض لاشياء بشعة 。 حتى في احد الشباتر لما تواجه الطفل مع احد المتنمرين الحوار كان اشبه بين طفل بريء وشيطان بشكل حرفي 。الراويه مكتوبة بشكل جيد بس زي ماقلت حجج الكاتبة والنقاط اللي تبي توصلها ضعيفة جداً ماتقنع احد بس يمكن هذا كله يرجع لتفضيل شخصي ما احب تصوير التنمر بهذا الشكل احس يحط الأطفال والمراهقين بداومه هم بغنى عنها 。。。more

shu ，

this was very hard to read。 i don’t know how i feel about that ending， or really， about this book in general。

Mara Yusingco ，

3。5 stars

Gretch Jaroda ，

3。5

Karyssa ，

3。5 starsKawakami’s Heaven is a small yet brutal novel。Reading the synopsis I had the idea that the novel would mainly focus on the intricacies of the developing friendship between the main protagonist and Kojima， all while they are suffering under their maelstrom of bullying。But it turns out that Heaven is more than that。。Heaven is a vehicle for Kawakami to explore Nietzsche’s work Thus Spoke Zarathustra， and the topics of loneliness， power， morality and truth。 All grand ideas to speak about to 3。5 starsKawakami’s Heaven is a small yet brutal novel。Reading the synopsis I had the idea that the novel would mainly focus on the intricacies of the developing friendship between the main protagonist and Kojima， all while they are suffering under their maelstrom of bullying。But it turns out that Heaven is more than that。。Heaven is a vehicle for Kawakami to explore Nietzsche’s work Thus Spoke Zarathustra， and the topics of loneliness， power， morality and truth。 All grand ideas to speak about to be sure。。We begin with our main protagonist Eyes （we do not learn his name I don’t think） a 14 year-old student who is relentlessly bullied for having a lazy eye。Rather than harbouring a spark of resistance in some form， we instead find him to be suffering these attacks in a complete and passive resignation。 Such inactivity， if not a total surrender， throughout the novel is exhausting as a reader， for he gives us nothing to hold onto and no recourse for our own raised feelings。 This lack of self-preservation in the main character made the graphic bullying scenes feel more intense to me。 Raising a dark tension within me， I wonder if this passivity was chosen to incite very real feelings in the reader， or if it was merely a side effect for Kawakami’s need for Eyes to be a neutral vessel。。As his relationship with Kojima blooms， we are granted periodic relief from the passivity， as she is much more active in her engagement with her suffering。Kojima holds fast to the belief that there is meaning in their suffering。‘We do it for everyone who’s weak everywhere， in the name of actual strength。 Everything we take， all of the abuse， we do it to rise above。 We do it for the people who know how important it is。’This assignation of the spiritual to her agony makes Kojima’s position clear to the reader and on a more personal level， makes her easier to relate to， for I too， once upon a time， liked to think that there was a reason or a higher purpose to my pain。。 In direct opposition to Kojima’s beliefs we have Momose， who is not introduced in a meaningful way until at least half way through the story。Momose himself is not an active participant in the bullying of Eyes but he is there and he is an observer。 The main bully’s need for Momose’s approval places Momose in a position of reverence and power by the group of bullies。We then reach a critical point in the novel where Eyes， after spending quite a lot of time absorbing Kojima’s views， confronts Momose when he sees the opportunity to do so alone。Instead of capitulating to Kojima’s philosophies espoused by the main character， he instead presents an amused front and rebuts with an argument that there is no point。 ’Does anything in the world happen for a reason？ Pretty sure the answer’s no。 Yeah， once it’s happened， you can come up with all kinds of explanations that look like they make perfect sense。 But everything starts from nothing。 Always。’‘none of this has any meaning。 Everyone just does what they want。。。nothing is good or bad。’ 。We are then left with Eyes who is now not sure who is right。 A strength of Kawakami’s is that as a reader， you are not sure on her personal stance to either belief system and it is up to you to form an opinion without her interference。。This is not the ending to the story， the ending occurs after some horrific events to both Kojima and our main character， but this is not something that I wish to further explore。What I will say however， is the choice of Eyes to have the corrective eye surgery because it makes me wonder if Kawakami was exceptionally deliberate when she chose a lazy eye to be his main feature。Nietzsche used eyes as a metaphor for the variable nature of moral truth and it being dependent upon each individual being。‘there are many kinds of eyes。 Even the Sphinx has eyes - and consequently there are many kinds of ‘truths’， and consequently there is no truth。'So when the main character undergoes his corrective surgery， is this a metaphor for both philosophical truths merging into his own， singular vision of truth？。While Heaven is centred on bullying， which is personal to me， I found that I could not connect with the characters nor the subject matter at large， which was disappointing。I found myself admiring the brilliance of Kawakami’s choices but ultimately left feeling unfulfilled。 。。。more

Oliwia Wasilewska ，

Almost too painful to read。 So intelligent and heartbreaking。

Sarah ，

This book broke my heart。 I wasn’t sure how to rate it however， and out of curiosity I ventured over to the 1 star reviews because I wanted to read some different perspectives。 I was surprised to see a few people saying how unrealistic it is for two teenagers to be bullied to the point of it becoming abuse， or for no adults to intervene， and to that all I can say is how thankful I am that they have never experienced this… because I know all too well just how realistic this novel was。 Another com This book broke my heart。 I wasn’t sure how to rate it however， and out of curiosity I ventured over to the 1 star reviews because I wanted to read some different perspectives。 I was surprised to see a few people saying how unrealistic it is for two teenagers to be bullied to the point of it becoming abuse， or for no adults to intervene， and to that all I can say is how thankful I am that they have never experienced this… because I know all too well just how realistic this novel was。 Another common complaint was that the teenagers were too intelligent; too capable of analysing human behaviour and the world around them and once again I’m thankful that there are people out there who got to experience teenage years spent doing anything other than contemplating how and why others perpetrate abuse， and the concept of suffering， life， and death。 For some of us this book really did hit close to home。 I’m still conflicted about the ending and my overall feelings。 Was it what I had hoped for？ No。 Was it realistic？ Yeah。 But I did feel the need to defend the author somewhat。 I’m always thankful to any awareness that can be raised about bullying and abuse。 At only 160ish pages I’d say that if you’re on the fence about picking this book up， it’s worth the time you’ll spend reading it。 。。。more

Tina （aggss112） ，

“We’ll understand some things while we’re alive and some after we die。 But it doesn’t really matter when it happens。 What matters is that all the pain and all the sadness have meaning。”

Katie ，

This is my first book completed from the International Booker shortlist。 While I don’t have a point of comparison to see where this book will rank for me， I believe it is definitely deserving of its spot on the list。 It is my first book by Kawakami and I definitely want to read Breasts and Eggs and the upcoming All the Lovers in the Night。This story is a harrowing depiction of relentless bullying。 Our narrator is a 14 year old boy nicknamed Eyes because he has a lazy eye。 During the novel， we ne This is my first book completed from the International Booker shortlist。 While I don’t have a point of comparison to see where this book will rank for me， I believe it is definitely deserving of its spot on the list。 It is my first book by Kawakami and I definitely want to read Breasts and Eggs and the upcoming All the Lovers in the Night。This story is a harrowing depiction of relentless bullying。 Our narrator is a 14 year old boy nicknamed Eyes because he has a lazy eye。 During the novel， we never learn his actual name。 The book explores him beginning a friendship with another girl at his school named Kojima who is also bullied。I had seen in reviews that this book is very philosophical and I would agree。 There were many deep ideas that made me think a lot during conversations with Kojima and with another character as well。 I’m not sure how I felt about some of Kojima’s thoughts about the bullying but they were still intriguing to read。 This was an interesting read and I am glad the Booker Prize pushed me to read this sooner。 。。。more

Syazwina ，

3。75 / 5

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Heaven

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Heaven&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Heaven&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0