I started this book without reading the reviews on #bookstagram, online and the summary at the back and I was pleasantly surprised.
The book starts with the reunion of the sisters Nastuko and Makiko and a daughter, Midoriko in Tokyo. After reading the book, I found that the first part of Breasts and Eggs was a novella first published in 2008. The novella won the Akutagawa Prize. The first part tells the story of Makiko and her search for breast enhancement surgeries. It also has journal that explains why Midoriko hasn’t spoken to her mother in months and her uncertainty about womanhood.
The second part focuses more on Natsuko. She is now a blogger and writer, struggling to write her next big novel. She wants to have a child, but she is not capable of having sex. She opts for other ways to have her child without a partner and without sex.
This book has depth. It leaves room for the reader to critically examine issues on the female body and feminism. I had moments when I had to pause and ponder on the critical issues raised.
The writing is breath-taking. I don’t know which part blew me away. I loved every bit of the observations and conversations capturing moments, people, and places.
Kawakami beautiful ties her story with other women (friends, niece, colleagues, editor among others) to give the reader scope and depth to issues on female body and feminism. These are real stories of women experiences every day and everywhere.
Overall, the book is incredible, but I disagreed with some of the debate raised on sperm donation, giving birth and womanhood.
Thank you Pan MacMillan for this review copy
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