LANGUAGE AND WRITING STYLE: 4/5 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4.5/5 PLOT AND NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE: 4/5 OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 Genre: Japanese Literature, Literary Fiction, Asian Literature Themes: Feminism, Women Centric, Single Women, Women in Contemporary Japan
“At the end of the day, where is this pain that men feel coming from? In their opinion: us. It’s all our fault—whether they’re unpopular, broke, jobless. Whatever it is, they blame women for all of their failures, all their problems. Now think about women. No matter how you see it, who’s actually responsible for the majority of the pain women feel? If you think about it that way, how could a man and a woman ever see eye to eye? It’s structurally impossible.”
– Meiko Kawakami, Breasts and Eggs
Ever since its release, this book has always been on my reading list, but as we all know, the reading list is known to never shrink and only increase with time.
And this book had been toppled over by the countless numbers of books that I have added to my ever-growing reading pile.
When it comes to Breasts and Eggs, I must admit that what caught my eye was the title, but I was not ready for the content that is immersed within the pages of this beautiful book.
I am not even halfway into the book, but the author has already talked about physical insecurities, sexual identity, and a hint of feminism in Midoriko.
“It feels like I’m trapped inside my body. It decides when I get hungry, and when I’ll get my period. From birth to death, you have to keep eating and making money just to stay alive.”
Before we delve into the writing though let me introduce you to the story and its characters.
The story as it goes
“If you want to know how poor somebody was growing up, ask them how many windows they had. Don’t ask what was in their fridge or in their closet. The number of windows says it all. It says everything. If they had none, or maybe one or two, that’s all you need to know.”
Breasts and Eggs offers a compelling depiction of the modern female experience in Japan, delving into the personal odysseys of three women as they navigate societal pressures and confront their own inner struggles in pursuit of genuine contentment and self-determined destinies.
The narrative revolves around Natsu, a thirty-year-old woman, her elder sister Makiko, and Makiko’s daughter, Midoriko. Makiko embarks on a journey to Tokyo with the intention of finding an affordable breast augmentation procedure.
Joining her is Midoriko, who has become withdrawn, grappling with the unspoken but profound pressures of coming of age.
Midoriko’s silence serves as a transformative catalyst, compelling each woman to confront their individual fears and frustrations head-on.
A decade later, amidst the scorching heat of yet another summer day, Natsu embarks on a poignant voyage back to her hometown.
Within this journey, she grapples with her own ambiguous sense of self, battling anxieties surrounding aging without a partner or children by her side.
As she confronts these fears head-on, Natsu delves deep into the depths of her soul, seeking solace and answers to her existential dilemmas.
Let’s delve into the writing
The journal entries of Midoriko are one of the few things that made the process of reading this book interesting.
I love reading about feminism, and to see shades of it in these journal entries made me introspect on a lot of issues in my life.
I am in a state of awe at the capability of the author to highlight important societal issues.
Some of these topics are considered taboo, but the author has done well to express them in a light manner, not at all pushing or stifling the readers with her opinions of what should be and should not be.
The intensity of rawness and reality that is presented in the book is something that needs to be talked about. Kawakami shows us the reality of being a woman who has to lead a hard life because of the many circumstances that they had to face.
And this, we get to see through the eyes of Makiko, Natsuko, and Midoriko.
“People like pretty things. When you’re pretty, everybody wants to look at you, they want to touch you. I wanted that for myself. Prettiness means value. But some people never experience that personally.”
I love that this book provides its readers with scenes of real life and not a fake reality. The author portrays a vivid picture of what it means to belong to the working-class group of women.
The main protagonists are searching for something to fill up the hollowness within them.
But what guarantee can they get that that void will be filled up after they take the next big step?
That is life. We just have to take the leap and trust that it will work out, and even if it doesn’t, we will figure things out along the way.
The term abuse is also highlighted here. The abuse a woman had to face at the hands of her husband, whether emotionally or physically is greatly portrayed in this novel. As women, we cannot do things without thinking about family, the child, and the so-called husband.
But men have the privilege of not stopping the flow of their lives even with a newborn baby and a newly created family. But women, especially in the past day and age, cannot do anything for themselves without putting the family first.
This is the tragedy of living life at the behest of someone else. The author painted this picture vividly, giving us a worldview of what it means to grow up in an abusive household, with a mother who cannot be counted on.
Having the term abuse in the novel, I believe this is the very reason that the characters portrayed are mostly single women who feel that they do not need a man to achieve the purpose that they are meant to find.
It is here, that I believe that we can also call this novel a feminist novel in every sense of the word.
I don’t think I have ever read a book of this caliber. Everything is so raw. It does not feel like I am reading a book anymore. I have become that distant observer of a family of three, bleeding my heart out at every story that is revealed.
The emotions that are presented in Breasts and Eggs are intense. I had to take a break after almost every chapter to be able to process the current emotions that had developed within me.
I know even when I am only halfway into the book, that whatever I have read here will continue to remain within me.
Among many things, this book introduced me to a lot of new things that involve the human body, and one of them is conceiving a child from an anonymous sperm donor, and the child is therefore known as donor-conceived.
It fascinated me a lot to know that many people had gone through this process and that it is a successful and popular process. Through this, a strong critique of patriarchy is presented, as how the world always works in the favor of men.
Here, the author shows us that the presence of men in women’s lives means next to nothing. A woman can live her life fully without ever needing the presence of a man in her life.
Another important note to add to my library of knowledge gained from this book is Breast Implants. I have never given much thought to this. I do not understand why people do it, but this book created a new level of awareness in me.
I learn a lot about this procedure. I am now familiar with the terms silicone gel, hyaluronic acid, and the procedures of getting breast implants.
And amidst all, the most urgent of all questions – what tragedy would drive a woman to consider this procedure?
In Breasts and Eggs, the meaning of being a woman is explored deeply, both emotionally as well as physically.
Books about women are always automatically added to my shelf, and I feel glad for picking this one up because it was a really wise decision. There is a lot that can be gained from this book.
And here is when I stop and ask you – what are you doing if not picking it up already?
Cannot wait to read it? Buy your copy of Breasts and Eggs using the link below.
