Natsuko

Natsuko is the main character and first-person narrator of Breasts and Eggs. Natsuko’s full name is Natsuko Natsume, and the similarity between her first and last name is a matter of mystery and speculation throughout the book. Some people, such as Natsuko’s editor Ryoko Sengawa, at first think that her name might be merely a pen name. The name comes across as invented or fabricated. It is possible that her mother gave her a name similar to her own family name, Natsume, as a way of preserving it, but Natsuko reverted to her mother’s maiden name after her parents separated.

Natsuko is a writer, and over the span of the book she goes from being unpublished to being a successful author. Her writing career determines much of how she moves through life and her encounters with other people. In Book Two, two of the main...