Breasts and Eggs

Published in Japanese in 2008, Breasts and Eggs is the second novel by acclaimed Japanese author Mieko Kawakami. Breasts and Eggs was celebrated in Japan, winning the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. The English translation, published in 2020, was similarly well received. Set in contemporary Tokyo, Breasts and Eggs explores the complexities of modern womanhood through the eyes of Natsuko “Natsu” Natsume, a single woman pursuing a solo fertility journey. Breasts and Eggs examines what it means to be a woman in modern Japan, tackling themes of single motherhood, reproductive rights versus anti-natalism, and life outside of gender norms.

This guide refers to the 2020 English print edition of Breasts and Eggs, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.

Content Warning: Breasts and Eggs contains mentions of domestic violence, suicidal ideation, and sexual abuse, including rape, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and child sexual abuse.

Plot Summary

In Book 1, Breasts, Natsuko “Natsu” Natsume prepares for a visit from her older sister Makiko and her niece, Midoriko. At 30, Natsu lives alone in Tokyo and nurses a struggling writing career while working a minimum-wage job. Makiko is 39 and works at a hostess bar. She was married and divorced young, and now raises Midoriko alone. For months, 12-year-old Midoriko has refused to speak to her mother, communicating only by writing on paper.

The text is punctuated with journal entries from Midoriko, which reveal her discomfort with her pubescent body. She is keenly aware of the expectations and limitations placed on women, and feels trapped into a role she has no interest in fulfilling. Though she loves her mother, she wonders why Makiko had her when she can barely support herself on her hostess salary.

Natsu experiences intense dreams and interludes of memory that contextualize her past. She recalls growing up with Makiko in an impoverished household in Osaka. After their abusive father abandoned the family, they were raised by their unnamed mother and their grandmother, Komi. Komi and Natsu’s mother both died of cancer within a few years of one another, leaving Natsu and Makiko to support themselves through a series of minimum-wage jobs.

Natsu reveals that for several months, Makiko has been fixated on getting a breast augmentation because she is insecure about the size and shape of her breasts. Midoriko is frustrated at her mother’s decision to get a frivolous procedure that she can’t afford, but Natsu understands that Makiko has been conditioned to equate beauty with happiness.

Makiko attends a consultation in Tokyo but stays out much later than expected and returns home heavily intoxicated. Midoriko finally breaks her silence and confronts her mother, while simultaneously breaking eggs over her head. She demands to know why life is so hard and confusing. Makiko comforts her and the two mend their relationship. The following day, Natsu sees them off back to Osaka.

Book 2, Eggs, resumes nine years after the events of Breasts. Natsu has found success as a novelist and is able to make a living off her writing.

Natsu suddenly finds herself consumed with the desire to have a child. She reveals that she is asexual and has no interest in conceiving a child through sex. Because artificial insemination in Japan is only supported for married couples, Natsu begins looking into alternative options, including direct donation or importing sperm from overseas. At a writing event, she meets the popular novelist Rika Yusa and the two become friends. Rika is a single mother with a four-year-old daughter, Kura. Natsu is inspired by Rika’s fulfilling and successful life.

After finding an article about the experience of donor-conceived children, Natsu fixates on the topic. She attends a seminar hosted by Children of Donors, where a man named Jun Aizawa speaks about the alienating experience of never knowing his biological father. Natsu connects with Aizawa after the seminar and the two begin emailing.

Natsu begins to develop feelings for Aizawa but learns that he is seeing a woman named Yuriko Zen, another member of Children of Donors. Yuriko was born into a dysfunctional family and was sexually abused by her non-biological father. As a result, she is a staunch anti-natalist who believes that the decision to have children is inherently selfish.

Natsu struggles to reconcile her desire to have a child with the fact that children can’t consent to being born. When she decides to proceed with motherhood, her decision is also met with resistance from friends and family, including Makiko. After an attempt at direct sperm donation goes traumatically awry, Natsu gives up on her wish to have a child and cuts contact with Aizawa.

Natsu visits Osaka for Midoriko’s birthday. On the way, she stops to visit her old apartment building, where she confronts her grief. Having anticipated her visit, Aizawa shows up in Osaka to meet her. The two reconcile, and Aizawa offers to father Natsu’s child.

Several months later, Natsu and Aizawa pose as a married couple at a fertility clinic. They are approved for artificial insemination. After eight months of attempts, Natsu gets pregnant. During her pregnancy, she feels at peace and happy. She and Makiko reconcile, and she remains close to Midoriko and Rika. The novel ends with Natsu giving birth to a healthy baby daughter.