"A stunning work of iridescence, changing with the light. For good reason this promises to be one of the most talked-about novels of the year."--Financial Times "A bracing, feminist exploration of daily life in Japan."--Entertainment Weekly "Not just some elevated piece of literary chick-lit. [Breasts and Eggs is] a novel of humanity, a multifaceted consideration of the fundamental question: What does it mean to exist? [.] A street-smart, distinctly Osakan empathy reverberates throughout this perpetually surprising, cleverly spiraling novel."--The Japan Times ""Kawakami, in her first book to be published in English, considers the agency that women exert over their bodies and charts the emotional underpinnings of physical changes--both intentional and unbidden--with humor and empathy."--The New Yorker "Kawakami''s timely feminist themes; strange, surreal prose; and wonderful characters will transcend cultural barriers and enchant readers.

"--The New York Observer "Kawakami''s narrative is bracing and evocative, tender yet unflinching in depicting the relationship between the sisters and between mother and daughter."--Publishers Weekly "Kawakami writes frankly about the mix of envy, admiration, scorn, and devotion that women feel towards each other."--Jennifer Schaffer, The Baffler "The book is so much about the body. If you are craving a novel that really describes a woman''s body so well, just in terms of desire, in terms of longing, in terms of a sense of self, then this is a fantastic novel to read and I highly recommend it."--Kat Chow, NPR "Within an affecting portrait-of-an-artist-in-transition, Kawakami deftly, deeply questions the assumptions of womanhood and family--the bonds and abuses, expectations and betrayals, choices and denials."--Booklist "Kawakami writes with unsettling precision about the body--its discomforts, its appetites, its smells and secretions. And she is especially good at capturing its longings."--Katie Kitamura, The New York Times Book Review "A unique, direct voice--almost every page contains sentences that stop me in my tracks.

"--Marta Bausells in Literary Hub "[Breasts and Eggs] speaks to the stories of Lucia Berlin; there is the same sense of a dispassionate but honoring gaze cast on working-class women, dogged and unsentimental in their survival."--Hermione Hoby, 4 Columns "Fearless in its demand for accountability, transcendent in its honesty, it breathes life into feminist literature."--PopMatters "This powerful story is a testament to female relationships, the role that memories play in the now, forgiveness and the ability to grow, no matter how painful it can be"--Happy Mag "Timeless and thoroughly contemporary, intimate and expansive, Natsuko and her companions encompass extremes in a singular and unforgettable fashion."--The Midwest Book Review "Mieko Kawakami deftly captures the anxiety of performing gender, while asking tough questions about class and the expectations of women."--BuzzFeed News "Kawakami''s book is complex and multi-layered, asking us deep and profound questions about humanity, social rules, procreation, and femininity."--The Fountain "Kawakami is known for her manipulation of language, and in Breasts and Eggs the body is just another given, with tenderness traded for candor."--Willamette Week "Breasts and Eggs provides the possibility of transformation through self-acceptance and understanding. Regardless of their various ordeals, characters choose, despite everything, to live, forming relationships and families that are eccentric in structure but just as warm and welcoming.

"--Asymptote Journal "I can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami''s novella Breasts and Eggs . Kawakami is always ceaselessly growing and evolving."--Haruki Murakami, author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle "Mieko Kawakami is Japan''s Brightest New Literary Star."--The Economist "One of Japan''s brightest stars is set to explode across the global skies of literature . Kawakami is both a writer''s writer and an entertainer, a thinker and constantly evolving stylist who manages to be highly readable and immensely popular."--The Japan Times.