Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Breasts and Eggs

A beautiful and raw depiction of womanhood in Japan.

Part 1 is a 5/5 - I thought the contrast between Natsu’s narrative and Midoriko’s journal entries was so interesting. And the story way Mieko depicted the complicated relationship between women, sisters and aunts and mothers and grandmothers, was so beautiful yet unflinching.

Part 2 is a 3.75/5 - I wasn’t a fan of the plot. But maybe it’s because I’m still too young to understand? It did made me think about why we have children, the purpose of life, and loneliness. But I wish it was more like Part I, which was a study of womanhood via this complicated, and sometimes toxic, family dynamic. I feel like the romantic plot point in Part II betrayed the feminist spirit of Part I. Wasn’t this book about defying patriarchal expectations? So why write in a romantic interest??

Feels like: Getting drunk with your sister for the first time and all of the emotional and mental barriers are washed away. You both talk candidly for the first time, realizing how much of each other’s love you’ve missed from your lives.

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helkailona's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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jayisreading's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Admittedly, this one took more time than I normally would have given a book to get invested. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because this ended up being a really entertaining read that grappled with an array of interconnected issues. I wouldn’t say the book is funny in the “laugh out loud” sense, nor was it exactly quirky, but there were a number of occasions where you couldn’t help but feel the corner of your lips tug slightly upward at some of the protagonist’s thoughts or in her conversations with others.

Speaking of, the thoughts and conversations around sexuality came as a pleasant surprise for me. I was not expecting such a nuanced approach to asexuality and the struggles that often come with being a sex-repulsed asexual, but Kawakami did a wonderful job exploring the complexities of sexuality, especially when considering other matters such as gender and childbearing. I appreciated that Kawakami didn’t make a huge fuss about giving Natsuko (the protagonist) a label or concrete idea of why she’s so sex-repulsed and, instead, allowed thoughts to flow freely in a way that felt authentic to anyone trying to work out their sexuality.

My main gripe isn’t about the content but, rather, the structure. I felt the two parts of this book seemed a bit disconnected, plot-wise. I just couldn’t quite follow how the two parts closely connected beyond sharing similar themes. It probably didn’t help that I struggled a bit with the first part, since I didn’t find it as engaging as the second part.

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ciancitt's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

The beginning was slow, but it delivered. There is so much packed into such a simple story. It take a deep dive into life and mind of a cis woman, questioning sexuality, family and ultimately what it takes to find a place in society. I loved the characters, how unique and unapologetic they were, and how they each contributed to the discussion. Overall, I think this book just leaves readers with much to think about, and it shakes the foundations of the current social norms.

The "optimistic" ending was unexpected.

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book_voyager's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The first part of the book was really dragging, and I almost DNFed the whole book. Nothing just made sense, and to be honest, I still don’t have an idea what Makiko’s breasts had to do with anything. Everything seemed so messy.

Luckily, I didn’t stop reading, and I really liked part 2 of the book. The themes of that part where something that hit somewhat close to me and that’s why enjoyed reading it.

As a whole, this book has a lot of elements and I don’t know if they are all necessary. Is it important that Natsuko is a writer, is it important that Midoriko didn’t want to talk to her mum? I don’t know. I think the book would’ve worked without several things.

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odrib's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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