Breasts and Eggs Summary
Mieko Kawakami

Breasts and Eggs Overview

Kawakami’s novel is a work of literary fiction that examines human reproduction and feminine beauty standards from the first-person point of view of its protagonist, Natsuko, a woman who considers becoming a single parent through donor conception. Natsuko’s narration portrays her shifting understanding of these issues through memories, dreams, dialogue, personal reflection, and surreal stream-of-consciousness scenes. By blending social themes, such as poverty and class, with philosophical ones, such as the nonlinear nature of time, the novel addresses broader questions of existence from a distinctly reproductive and woman-centered perspective.