Tag: Japanese

Review: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

A quiet commentary buried under a somewhat unhappy tone; Breasts and Eggs, which was Mieko Kawakami’s first significant literary work, stands as an interesting read for this reason. Split into two halves (separated by a decade), we follow Natsu as she becomes a budding author and attempts to wrangle with the pressures of society, work,…

Review: People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami

An incredibly short, as well as utterly bizarre, collection of micro stories that push the bounds of fiction and continuity to their wit’s end. Kawakami, through a comedic and semi-sardonic tongue, paints a small world that is far from normal. Whilst I’m not one to spoil books (especially not one that barely creeps beyond a…

Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Taking its title from the Beatles’ song of the same name, Norwegian Wood is an apathetic and cynical story about late-1960s Japan and accepting manhood. Following Watanabe as he reflects on his teenage years and the beginning of his twenties, Murakami discusses much about society, life’s worth, suicide, and the ever pressing matter of sex…

Review: Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

As touching as it is heart-wrenching, Kawakami’s second novel, Heaven, illustrates the horrors of childhood, bullying, and our fleeting attempts to love ourselves and the families that neglect us. Kawakami toys with many facets in this relatively short novel, especially those that trouble us during our formative years, like bullying and home life. She does…