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A review by sebby_reads
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
5.0
I was listening to this audiobook on Scribd in the past week. I’ve been meaning to read it since I found out it was been recommended by one of my favourite writers, Murakami. Though I can’t get the physical copy of the book, I found it on Scribd last week. From the beginning of the chapter one, I was totally hook and if it wasn’t for my busy schedule, I would have finished it earlier.
The novle is about Natsuko Natsum, a 30-year-old writer who had published a book and short pieces in magazines is figuring out her life and the choices she made, all the good and bad she had in her childhood, the early passing of her mother, etc. She is visited by her older sister Makiko and her daughter Midoriko who has been giving Makiko a silent treatment for months. Makiko is in hunt for a cosmetic clinic in Tokyo to enhance her breasts whereas Midoriko, being at the beginning of her adolescent, is concerned about the changes in her body and disgusted by her mother’s idea of breasts enlargement. During their visit, Natsuko and Makiko recount their childhood raised by strong women, their mother and grandmother. From these conversations between them and the diary entries of Midoriko, the reader was given different aspects on womanhood. It also narrates Natsuko’s struggle with her work on the second novel and more extensively on her desire to have a child. Being single and afraid of being alone at old age, she starts looking up for options.
With her stunning storytelling, Kawakami depicts the contemporary womanhood in Japan vividly. Various topics are explored such as body image issues, lifestyle choices of independent women, giving birth, sexism, etc. Through her colourful characters, she talks vibrantly on period, discusses eloquently on language and dialects. She convincingly argues about the choice of having children or not. It was a very rich and stimulating read with multiple thought provoking topics.
Although these are striking issues, her writing is ingeniously willowy and sophisticated that it gave me literary high throughout the read. I'll definitely buy the book to read it again and to add to my library. 5 out of 5 stars.
The novle is about Natsuko Natsum, a 30-year-old writer who had published a book and short pieces in magazines is figuring out her life and the choices she made, all the good and bad she had in her childhood, the early passing of her mother, etc. She is visited by her older sister Makiko and her daughter Midoriko who has been giving Makiko a silent treatment for months. Makiko is in hunt for a cosmetic clinic in Tokyo to enhance her breasts whereas Midoriko, being at the beginning of her adolescent, is concerned about the changes in her body and disgusted by her mother’s idea of breasts enlargement. During their visit, Natsuko and Makiko recount their childhood raised by strong women, their mother and grandmother. From these conversations between them and the diary entries of Midoriko, the reader was given different aspects on womanhood. It also narrates Natsuko’s struggle with her work on the second novel and more extensively on her desire to have a child. Being single and afraid of being alone at old age, she starts looking up for options.
With her stunning storytelling, Kawakami depicts the contemporary womanhood in Japan vividly. Various topics are explored such as body image issues, lifestyle choices of independent women, giving birth, sexism, etc. Through her colourful characters, she talks vibrantly on period, discusses eloquently on language and dialects. She convincingly argues about the choice of having children or not. It was a very rich and stimulating read with multiple thought provoking topics.
Although these are striking issues, her writing is ingeniously willowy and sophisticated that it gave me literary high throughout the read. I'll definitely buy the book to read it again and to add to my library. 5 out of 5 stars.