Translated by David Boyd and Sam Bett
Once I committed to read at least one translated book a month in 2020 (and hopefully the rest of my life), I then had the fun task of researching which books I want to read next. I requested and got approved for many 2020 releases from NetGalley, so I'm excited to share my reviews with you all. Hopefully Books in Translation becomes a series here on Vitae Victoria!
Breasts and Eggs follows two sisters and the elder sister's daughter. The present day timelines takes place in Tokyo, whereas flashbacks of the sisters growing up take you back to Osaka.
I started reading this book when I was in Osaka for the first time, in Japan for the first time, and I'm so glad I did. Little details in this book opened my eyes to details I would've missed while traveling. Hostess bars, cultural mindsets, and struggles of a socioeconomic group that I never would've come into contact with as a tourist.
I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book over the first. Both halves of the book deal with interesting themes of motherhood and growing up, but the second half explores the complicated process of choosing single motherhood and in-vitro fertilization. The main character reminds me a bit of the protagonist in Convenience Store Woman, another popular book from Japan, because they're both a little different and decide to live their lives on their own terms, despite what society thinks. (Aside from that the books are very different, please don't compare these books further, they're both great in their own way!)
I look forward to reading more of Kawakami and hope more of her works are translated into English soon!
Links to buy:
Bookshop.org
Fountain Bookstore
Indiebound
also check your local library!