{"title":"Mieko Kawakami","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMieko Kawakami\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts profound and evocative tales that delve into the complexities of human relationships, identity, and societal expectations. Her works, such as \u003cem\u003eAll The Lovers In The Night\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e, offer intimate explorations of contemporary life with a unique blend of poetic insight and emotional depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect narratives that challenge conventions and illuminate the quiet struggles and resilience of her characters. Kawakami’s writing is a compelling fusion of lyrical prose and sharp social observation, inviting reflection on themes of womanhood, family, and personal freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"breasts-and-eggs","title":"Breasts and Eggs","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a sweltering summer day in the heart of a poor Tokyo suburb, we are introduced to three women whose lives intertwine in unexpected and poignant ways. Natsuko, a thirty-year-old aspiring writer, finds her world disrupted by the arrival of her older sister Makiko and Makiko's teenage daughter, Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess desperate to reclaim her fading beauty, has come to Tokyo seeking breast enhancement surgery. Her obsession with her appearance has left Midoriko, who is struggling with her own puberty-induced transformations, silent and emotionally withdrawn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the oppressive heat fills Natsuko's rundown apartment, the stifling atmosphere serves as a crucible for each woman to confront her own anxieties and the strained family dynamics that bind them together. The apartment becomes a battleground where dreams, fears, and desperate hopes collide, offering a raw and insightful exploration of contemporary womanhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEight years later, we reconnect with Natsuko, who has evolved into a published author. Her journey of self-discovery takes her back to her rural hometown, where she is haunted by memories of that transformative summer and the shadows of her family's past. As she navigates her way through a society with rigid norms and systemic sexism, Natsuko grapples with her desire for motherhood and the constraints imposed by her biological clock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e by Mieko Kawakami provides a revolutionary and intimate portrayal of working-class women in modern Japan. It delves deeply into themes of body image, female identity, and familial bonds. With her keen narrative skills, Kawakami paints an evocative picture of the societal pressures faced by women and the heartbreaking sacrifices they are often required to endure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis novel has been translated into English by Sam Bett and David Boyd, maintaining the poignant and evocative prose of the original Japanese. Recognised as a 'Notable Book of 2020' by The New York Times and celebrated by acclaimed authors, \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e is Mieko Kawakami's unforgettable English-language debut.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Breathtaking' - Haruki Murakami, author of \u003cem\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Bold, modern and surprising' - An Yu, author of \u003cem\u003eBraised Pork\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Incredible and propulsive' - Naoise Dolan, author of \u003cem\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45779640877292,"sku":"9781509898213","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781509898213.jpg?v=1727601192"},{"product_id":"heaven-by-mieko-kawakami-9781509898251","title":"Heaven","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2022\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami, comes a sharp and illuminating novel about a fourteen-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHailed as a bold foray into new literary territory, Kawakami's novel is told in the voice of a fourteen-year-old student subjected to relentless torment for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, the boy suffers in complete resignation. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormenters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe young friends meet in secret in the hopes of avoiding any further attention and take solace in each other's company, completely unaware that their relationship has not gone unnoticed by their bullies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKawakami's simple yet profound new work stands as a dazzling testament to her literary talent. Here, she asks us to question the fate of the meek in a society that favours the strong, and the lengths that even children will go in their learned cruelty. There can be little doubt that it has cemented her reputation as one of the most important young authors working to expand the boundaries of contemporary Japanese literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003cem\u003eHEAVEN\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Mieko Kawakami is always ceaselessly growing and evolving' - Haruki Murakami, author of \u003cem\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Mieko Kawakami is a genius' - Naoise Dolan, author of \u003cem\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'An expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence' - Vogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"The Distribution and Logistics Company (TDLC)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46413338247404,"sku":"9781509898251","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16004763482725.jpg?v=1746265511"},{"product_id":"all-the-lovers-in-the-night-by-mieko-kawakami-9781509898299","title":"All The Lovers In The Night","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Mieko Kawakami is a genius\" - Naoise Dolan, author of \u003cem\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami comes \u003cem\u003eAll the Lovers in the Night\u003c\/em\u003e, an extraordinary, deeply moving and insightful story set in contemporary Tokyo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFuyuko Irie is a freelance proofreader in her thirties. Living alone, and unable to form meaningful relationships, she has little contact with anyone other than Hijiri, someone she works with. When she sees her reflection, she's confronted with a tired and spiritless woman who has failed to take control of her own life. Her one source of solace: light. Every Christmas Eve, Fuyuko heads out to catch a glimpse of the lights that fill the Tokyo night. But it is a chance encounter with a man named Mitsutsuka that awakens something new in her. And so her life begins to change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs Fuyuko starts to see the world in a different light, painful memories from her past begin to resurface. Fuyuko needs to be loved, to be heard, and to be seen. But living in a small world of her own making, will she find the strength to bring down the walls that surround her? \u003cem\u003eAll the Lovers in the Night\u003c\/em\u003e is acute and insightful, entertaining and captivating, pulsing and poetic, modern and shocking. It's another unforgettable novel from Japan's most exciting writer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"The Distribution and Logistics Company (TDLC)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46416887382252,"sku":"9781509898299","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16005243482725.jpg?v=1746397401"},{"product_id":"ms-ice-sandwich-by-mieko-kawakami-9781782276722","title":"Ms Ice Sandwich","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA young boy returns obsessively to a supermarket sandwich counter, entranced by the beauty of the woman who works there. Her aloof demeanour and electric blue eyelids make him feel the most intense joy he's ever known. He calls her \u003cem\u003eMs Ice Sandwich\u003c\/em\u003e, and he wants nothing more than to spend his days watching her coolly slip sandwiches into bags.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut life keeps getting in the way - there's his beloved grandmother's illness, and a faltering friendship with his classmate Tutti, who invites him into her private world. Wry, intimate, and wonderfully skewed, \u003cem\u003eMs Ice Sandwich\u003c\/em\u003e is a poignant depiction of the naivety and wisdom of youth, just as it is passing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46532042260716,"sku":"9781782276722","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15467843482822.jpg?v=1749302394"},{"product_id":"sisters-in-yellow-by-mieko-kawakami-9781035096138","title":"Sisters in Yellow","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the International Booker Prize Shortlisted author of \u003cem\u003eHeaven\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHana has nothing but she's hopeful. She's fifteen years old. She lives in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKimiko is older, a bright light in Hana's dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that caters to hostesses and their marks, small-time crooks, men with low morals and deep pockets, and anyone down on their luck. Suddenly, Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut in the seedy streets of Setagaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hana's hope, her optimism, and her drive will be tested to the limit...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwenty years later, Kimiko is on trial. Now Hana must wrestle with her own actions and face their devastating consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, \u003cem\u003eSisters in Yellow\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Distribution (MDL)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47269587255532,"sku":"9781035096138","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/679aa9641388f11d2cd3fba3ecfa8ab4.jpg?v=1769985976"},{"product_id":"breasts-and-eggs-by-mieko-kawakami-9781529074413","title":"Breasts and Eggs","description":"On a hot summer's day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko's teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mother's self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsuko's rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.\n\nEight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and find herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her family's past as she faces her own uncertain future.","brand":"Macmillan Distribution (MDL)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288384913644,"sku":"9781529074413","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11165853482732.jpg?v=1770547507"},{"product_id":"sisters-in-yellow-by-mieko-kawakami-9781035095094","title":"Sisters in Yellow","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeluxe Hardback edition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the International Booker Prize-Shortlisted author of \u003cem\u003eHeaven\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHana has nothing but she's hopeful. She's fifteen years old. She lives in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKimiko is older, a bright light in Hana's dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that, despite its shabby setting and seedy clientele, becomes a haven for Hana. Suddenly Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut in the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hana's hope, her optimism, and her drive, will be tested to the limit...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, \u003cem\u003eSisters in Yellow\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47550353604844,"sku":"9781035095094","price":49.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781035095094-sisters-in-yellow.jpg?v=1776802212"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/mieko-kawakami.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}