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becks_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ultimately, I think this was a really excellent novel, it discusses important topics in a way that's honest and often uncomfortable (there are a lot of content warnings in this book) but it does also have some hope in it.
The book is mainly focused on 2 things: breasts (expectations of women's bodies, especially as they age and have children and how their bodies are perceived, and ultimately how that affects the women and their view of themselves), and eggs (who gets to have children? And the difficulties some people face in having children and accessing services like sperm banks because of their circumstances, specifically in Japan).
Personally, I have absolutely 0 desire to have children and while I've had times where I felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way, I feel like I'm at a place where I can just accept my body for what it is, but reading about people with different circumstances can be really enlightening and I really felt for the women in this story and their circumstances and problems, I think the part about birth and desperately wanting a child was really well done especially, and I just wanted Natsu to find happiness, whatever that looked like for her in the end.
Overall, a really interesting read. Just go in with caution.
The book is mainly focused on 2 things: breasts (expectations of women's bodies, especially as they age and have children and how their bodies are perceived, and ultimately how that affects the women and their view of themselves), and eggs (who gets to have children? And the difficulties some people face in having children and accessing services like sperm banks because of their circumstances, specifically in Japan).
Personally, I have absolutely 0 desire to have children and while I've had times where I felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way, I feel like I'm at a place where I can just accept my body for what it is, but reading about people with different circumstances can be really enlightening and I really felt for the women in this story and their circumstances and problems, I think the part about birth and desperately wanting a child was really well done especially, and I just wanted Natsu to find happiness, whatever that looked like for her in the end.
Overall, a really interesting read. Just go in with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Infidelity
I found the parts where the characters felt hopeless and depressed triggered my own depression a bit, so something to be mindful of. I can't remember if there's any other content warnings, but I think this gives you an idea of the content anyway.