Product Description
ANew York Times'Notable Book of 2020'
One of Elena Ferrante's 'Top 40 Books by Female Authors'
'A sharply observed and heartbreaking portrait of what it means to be a woman, in Japan and beyond–Time, 'The 100 Must-Read Books of 2020'
'Breathtaking' – Haruki Murakami, author ofThe Wind-up Bird Chronicle
On a hot summers day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makikos teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mothers self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsukos rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.
Eight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and find herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her familys past as she faces her own uncertain future.
InBreasts and EggsMieko Kawakami paints a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. This is an unforgettable full length English language debut from a major new international talent.
'Bold, modern and surprising' – An Yu, author ofBraised Pork
'Incredible and propulsive' – Naoise Dolan, author ofExciting Times