What I thought was a lighthearted and magical story filled with a child's vivid imagination is actually a book filled with a lot of heavy themes.

We are introduced to eleven-year-old Natsuki as she and her family (her mother, father, and older sister) drive up the mountains on their way to her grandmother’s house. Early on, Natsuki tells us that she has magical powers given to her by Piyyut, her stuffed animal, who is actually from Planet Popinpobopia, on a mission for The Magic Police to save Earth.

But in reality, Natsuki’s magical powers are her way of coping

with the abuse she suffers from her family and her male teacher

. Sayaka Murata again uses simple and straightforward language that cuts through to the reader and drives home the fact that our protagonist is only a child when we first meet her.

Natsuki feels alienated from everyone around her. But she is doing the best she can to fit into the competent adult “Earthling” mold, seeing it as a way to escape all the bad things happening to her. Like in Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata’s main characters think about societal norms and expectations, although they respond differently. As Natsuki becomes an adult, and specifically in the final chapter of the book, she responds in an extreme manner. This decision took the story in an unexpected direction, and I was so shocked when I read it.