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A review by corvuscorax
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
3.75
This was, for me, a fresh perspective into a topic I thought I had "mastered". What is it to be a woman? What is it to have or to want a child? From an almost kaleidoscopic angle, in a manner both sensitive and unafraid, Mieko Kawakami gives us an array of different answers. By the end of the second part, you will almost forget about the first, that's how dense this one is. But I say almost, because there are constant connections between the two. The main character is incredibly easy to get into the head of, even when our situation is quite different from hers. She has a way with words, as a writer, and you get to see her work through doubts so painful they make you squeamish.
I loved the way female friendships were depicted in this, because each friendship was different. There were no cookie-cutter mimosa friendships, and even the ones that were closest to that were dissected in such a way as to raise interesting questions about what we really know about one another. There is a lot of death, both literal and metaphorical, and quite a few goodbyes that manage to pull at your heartstrings. The highlights for me in this book are the most bizarre scenes, likethe scene where Midoriko and Makiko crack eggs and cry, or that in which Natsume thinks about inserting a plastic syringe into herself, or the meeting between Natsume and that strange, strange man. Would really recommend this!
I loved the way female friendships were depicted in this, because each friendship was different. There were no cookie-cutter mimosa friendships, and even the ones that were closest to that were dissected in such a way as to raise interesting questions about what we really know about one another. There is a lot of death, both literal and metaphorical, and quite a few goodbyes that manage to pull at your heartstrings. The highlights for me in this book are the most bizarre scenes, like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Rape and Suicide attempt