A review by jonabel
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Japanese have this wonderful way of telling slices of life or mundane moments in life into something deeper than its face value. This books is an example of that. The first part of the book which was actually published first into a novella happened in just a span of a summer weekend, yet it was able to tackle deeply rooted gender-related problems such as lack of proper sex education, body shame, childhood trauma, and the struggles of working-class women. Personally, I like the first part more. Maybe it's the way it's written where the journal entries of Midoriko were  also written, giving us a glimpse of how a teenage girl in that class and family processes thoughts about puberty and poverty.

The second book tackles more about motherhood or the avoidance of it, and how the protagonist, Natsuko Natsume tiptoes around it. Issues about artificial insemination and parenthood were also discussed. I also liked that there is a representation of someone who cannot physically tolerate sex. I did not like the ending tho. It seems pretty convenient for everyone. 

But in summary, this book is a must-read. It explores the female body, the struggles of being a woman, the struggles of being a poor woman. It might seem very personal, speaking as a woman, but it is actually a very political literature.
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