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Breasts and Eggs

Breasts and Eggs

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Certainly, the quirkiness of the presentation of the ideas -- mainly in the normalcy with which they are treated (Natsuko isn't really hung-up on anything, like most protagonists in her position would be, especially regarding sex) -- is appealing. Mieko Kawakami. “ A Feminist Critique of Murakami Novels, With Murakami Himself”. Literary Hub. 07 April 2020. The flipside of this is, of course, Makiko. She wishes for her dark nipples to be pinker and her small breasts to be larger. She brings up, several times, the fact that she had a child as the reason for her physical imperfections. Mieko Kawakami. “ Acts of Recognition: On the Women Characters of Haruki Murakami”. Literary Hub. 03 October 2019. Natsuko's isn't a question of gender-confusion -- that isn't the issue -- but she still struggles to figure out her identity as a woman, whereby societal pressure, of lineage, and the roles of sons and daughters within the family, play a significant part.

It’s complicated, is the basic answer to the situations Kawakami throws at the reader; but what a superb job she does of portraying that complexity in full and thorough detail. Some characters make a compelling argument that having children at all is a vain and narcissistic act; an inherent act of violence against the child who never asked to be brought into a world of misery and pain. Does the possibility that a child might love their life justify the gamble, or the sorrow of all those who experience lives of pain, misery and deprivation? In the eight years separating the first and second parts of the novel Natsuko has enjoyed some success as an author, publishing a book that became a surprise success (where everyone dies -- but keeps on living ...). Natsuko has no desire for a man, has no real sexual desires (this is explored in intimate and curious ways), and yet she has this feeling that a child exists in her timeline; she simply has yet to meet them. This is perhaps the greatest thematic strength of Breasts and Eggs: perspectives on womanhood and motherhood. Mieko Kawakami explored womanhood in a visceral and agry way with Book One.

The whole situation,” she said. “You’re betting that the child that you bring into this will be at least as happy as you’ve been, at least as fortunate as you’ve been, or, at a minimum, that they’ll be able to say they’re happy they were born. Everyone says life is both good and bad, but the majority of people think it’s mostly good. That’s why people go through with it. The odds are decent. Sure, everyone dies eventually, but life has meaning, even pain and suffering have meaning, and there’s so much joy. There’s not a doubt in your mind that your child will see it that way, just like you. No one thinks they’ll pull the short straw. They’re convinced everything will work out fine. But that’s just people believing what they want to believe. For their own benefit. The really horrible part is that this bet isn’t yours to make. You’re betting with another person’s life. Not yours.” My monolithic expectation of what a woman's body was supposed to look like had no bearing on what actually happened to my body. What does being a mother mean? Who has the right to bring a life into this world? Is motherhood a selfish act and, if it is, is it wrong to be selfish? What does a child feel about being born? These were the questions Breasts and Eggs forced me to think about. Section two, the bulk of the book, is digressive and reflective. Natsuko is working on a second novel. She wants to have a child but her body cannot tolerate sex, which disquiets and grieves her. Artificial insemination is forbidden to single Japanese women: she must either go to a sperm bank outside the country or make illegal arrangements with a donor. This section is made up of conversations as Natsuko passes time with a fellow writer, an editor, a former co-worker, and briefly, Makiko and Midoriko. Breasts and Eggs” was originally published in Japan as a novella in 2008, before Kawakami expanded it for this current edition. Book 1, which takes place over a handful of days as Makiko and her daughter visit Natsu, has the feel of a stand-alone work. This effect is partially temporal and partially tonal: Here, Natsu possesses some level of certainty, at least about Makiko’s mania and what it says about female identity.

The longer second part revisits Natsuko 10 years later: she’s achieved a similar sudden literary success to her author, but is struggling to write a second novel and increasingly isolated. She yearns to have a child, but the thought of sex makes her “want to die”, so she investigates using a sperm donor, only to discover in Japan it’s a process only available for infertile couples, not single women. Several people assume the catchy if unlikely 'Natsuko Natsume' is the pen name she adopted, but, as she assures them, it really is her name.) Natsuko is far from satisfied, however. There is a slow, creeping need that is slowly closing in on her: to have a child of her own. Natsuko doesn't come across as a neutered (or psychologically damaged) character -- though here again the story is clearly 'foreign', as it seems unimaginable her American or European counterpart would not at some point, of her own accord or encouraged by others, have consulted a therapist about her aversion to sex. The issue of womanhood is more universal, and Kawakami's take is particularly intriguing with her de-sexualized protagonist.

An added delight is Kawakami’s gentle exposé of the literary life. Anyone who has struggled as a writer themselves can’t help but both laugh and nod at Natsuko’s efforts to dodge editors, stay awake at book readings and launches, and balance the need to earn money with the desire to produce meaningful work. She portrays with bold honesty the misogyny of the field as well. But she finds positive meaning in other women writers and editors. Female friendships form an important theme in the book, as does the fundamental challenge of creating and maintaining friendships in our alienated, digital age.

In her quest, she meets a handful of unique characters and also experiences a morphing of her current relationship, most notably that which she shares with her literary agent. To his credit, Haruki Murakami has been generously stumping for Kawakami in the literary scene, which is appropriate as her work complements his in important ways. While he has tried valiantly to engage with gender politics on occasion, there is a gender bias to Murakami’s oeuvre characterized by an inability to develop authentic female characters, particularly in lead roles. Kawakami triumphantly occupies this gap with a book centred on female experience (and advertises it, with her straightforward and unabashed title). Mieko Kawakami is already a superstar author in her native Japan. A philosophical and feminist powerhouse of beautiful prose, interwoven with discussions on death, birth, womanhood, growth, and change. One fascinating element of Kawakami’s work, for which she has been celebrated in Japan, is her use of Osaka dialect. Although this language is described in Breasts and Eggs – “the real Osaka dialect isn’t even about communicating. It’s a contest … How can I put it? It’s an art” – translators Bett and Boyd do not render it. In 2012, an excerpt of Breasts and Eggs was published by another translator, Louise Heal Kawai, who offers Makiko’s “I’ve been thinking about getting breast implants” as “Natsuko, I’m thinking of getting me boobs done”.The Japan-specific details, especially about family (and family-lines), and the way both the law and society look upon procreation give an interesting twist to the story; in this sense, it is definitely a foreign tale, as American or European experiences would be shaped very differently simply because of the way society and the law function there. In Book One of Breasts and Eggs, Natsuko took on the role of the observer, with her sister and niece taking centre-stage.

And she isn't really that worried about money, recalling that the female companionship of the three generations she grew up as part of and the sense of family were what really mattered: Book Two, on the other hand, offers us multiple stances, opinions, and ideas when it comes to carrying, giving birth, and raising a child. As well as the role of a woman in the family, in society, in the house. Kawakami writes with a remarkable frankness grounded in bodily experience and emotional honesty. Women’s bodies and experiences are centred in the narrative; she writes of menstruation, ovulation, pregnancy with a candor that renders them a natural part of the story. Nothing is forced or didactic; nor is anything whitewashed. A recurrent theme in Book One is Natsuko’s sister Makiko’s desire for breast implants, and the arguments and dilemmas this produces. The journal entries written by Natsuko’s niece, Midoriko, in Book One chronicle a teenager’s efforts to grapple with her changing body and the misogyny she encounters in school and life.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.”



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
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