Meiko Kawakami is a literary star in Japan (also a blogger, poet and former J-Pop star) and this is her first book published in English (translated by Sam Bet and David Boyd. )
Breasts and Eggs won Japan’s most prestigious writing award, the Akutagawa Prize, in 2007. Since then, it has expanded into two books within a book. In Book One, Natsuko is hosting her sister and niece over a sweltering summer in Tokyo from Osaka. Makiko is obsessed with getting breast implants while Midoriko is incredibly anxious about her impending body changes. In Book Two, it’s ten years later and Natsuko is exploring having a child using a sperm donor.
Throughout this novel, Natsuko is surrounded by solo, independent women and this book explores and makes a stand against Japanese patriarchal society. Grimy small apartments, bodily functions, ramen noodles and hostess bars are the background to an intriguing and fleshed out character study.
Also, highly recommended is Kawakami interviewing Murakami where she deeply takes him to task for his writing of female characters.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Sarah below:
