“What does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to have a body?”
Part One: Summer
The novel opens with Natsuko, a struggling writer in her 30s, hosting her older sister Makiko and Makiko’s teenage daughter, Midoriko, in Tokyo during a sweltering summer. Makiko, a single mother working as a hostess in Osaka, is obsessed with getting breast implants, believing they will improve her life. Midoriko, meanwhile, has stopped speaking to her mother and communicates only through a notebook. The tension between mother and daughter is palpable, reflecting deeper anxieties about womanhood, identity, and bodily autonomy.
Natsuko observes their strained relationship while grappling with her own loneliness and creative stagnation. Midoriko’s journal entries reveal her fears about puberty, menstruation, and the societal expectations placed on women’s bodies. The oppressive heat mirrors the emotional suffocation felt by all three women as they navigate their personal struggles.
Part Two: Eggs
Years later, Natsuko, now a moderately successful author, revisits her past in a deeper exploration of motherhood and reproduction. She contemplates having a child on her own through artificial insemination, despite societal and financial obstacles. Her journey leads her to question the ethics of sperm donation, the meaning of family, and the pressures women face to conform to traditional roles.
She meets Rika, a woman who chose to have a child via sperm donation, and Aizawa, a man who donated sperm and now grapples with his biological fatherhood. Through these encounters, Natsuko reflects on the complexities of modern parenthood, the commodification of reproduction, and the loneliness of making such life-altering decisions alone.
Key Themes
- The female body as a site of societal control and personal struggle
- Motherhood, autonomy, and the ethics of reproduction
- Class disparity and economic barriers in women’s lives
- Silence and communication breakdowns in relationships
- The intersection of art, identity, and survival
Notable Adaptations
| Year | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Stage Play (Japan) | Adapted by a Tokyo theater troupe, focusing on Part One |
Who should read this book?
- Readers interested in feminist literature and bodily autonomy
- Those exploring unconventional family structures
- Fans of introspective, character-driven narratives