Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC of Swallows! I enjoyed this musing on motherhood and surrogacy, it does a great job of showing the darker side to living in Tokyo where everything is ridiculously expensive but stable, well-paid jobs are hard to come by. Riki is one such woman being pushed to her limits financially while just barely scraping by. Out of options, she lets herself be convinced by a friend into selling her eggs. But the agency has more in mind for Riki and her sellable womb.

The other half of the narrative focuses on Yuko and Motoi, a couple in their forties struggling to conceive. Their dynamic is interesting, as it’s Motoi, a retired ballerina, who is more invested in passing on his genes to a child. But the onus falls on Yuko, more ambivalent about kids, to undergo intense IVF treatments, and then be steamrollered into surrogacy without her eggs. I thought Natsuo Kirino did an excellent job exploring all the nuances of such a fraught and intimate topic. She does a lot to examine gendered stereotypes, with characters often subverting them or at least pushing back.

I was near to tearing my hair out by the end though. For one, I don’t think it needed to be this long, but then that ending?! I literally said ‘BRO’ out loud, to nobody. I am a stickler for the rules, and Riki’s treatment of her contract had my eyes twitching 🤣

3.5 stars

I think I enjoyed this book overall. The vastly differing views on sex from different characters was interesting, and how they didn't seem to particularly judge each other. The book brought feminist perspectives to what it means to have a child, including egg donation and surrogacy.
I'm rating it 3 stars as I would describe it as "fine" - I wanted to read it all but it didn't really leave me with a lasting impression, although I did enjoy it overall.

Thanks NetGalley for my advance copy, all opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this book. Didn't know what to expect going into it but I really liked how thoughful this book is. Loved Kirino.

Sharp, provocative and compelling, Swallows explores the intersections of motherhood, autonomy, class and the commodification of the body.

Riki leaves her dull hometown in Hokkaido for Tokyo, hoping for a better life, but as a temp she has no job security and struggles to get by. When she learns of an agency offering a large sum for egg donation, she and a friend apply, only for Riki to be offered something far more lucrative, becoming a surrogate for a wealthy couple.

Former ballet star Motoi Kusaoke and his wife Yuko have exhausted almost every option to have a child. When Motoi finds a loophole in Japan’s surrogacy laws, Riki seems like the perfect match. But this arrangement is not without complications, as a vivid cast of characters weigh in, from Yuko’s outspoken best friend to Motoi’s domineering mother and even Riki’s candid sex worker therapist.

Kirino uses these intertwined stories to examine Japanese attitudes towards sex, gender roles and reproductive rights. At times the narrative reads like a series of essays woven into the plot, but the result is consistently engaging and often surprising.

A thought-provoking and fearless look at what it really means to be in control.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

'Swallows' is a book about a young woman who is financially struggling, who agrees to be a surrogate for an upper-class couple who can't have kids of their own. The story is told from the perspectives of the young woman, the husband, and the wife. That allowed the story to present a more holistic perspective on the theme, as well as express more nuanced opinions on women and their bodies.

I also enjoyed how the author talked about many taboos, like female sexuality, asexual people, as well as the woman's place in her own family. There are also the themes of class, freedom, and power.

The ending was kind of ambiguous, but it was satisfying, as by then one had settled on what to think about each character and kind of rooted for a more pleasant outcome.

Moreover, the writing was enjoyable, and the time jumps were well handled.

However, there were too many repetitions that got tedious to read.

It took me a bit to get into this novel but I am so glad that I persevered with it. What a fresh and original take on motherhood and an interesting take on class and selling the human body (female surrogacy, male/female sex workers). I really enjoyed it a lot more than I had initially anticipated and it raised a lot of interesting and intriguing questions throughout with the range of vibrant characters featured in the book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

What a thorough exploration of class, poverty, pregnancy and motherhood. Natsuo Kirino has painstakingly woven such a masterfully intricate literary tapestry of themes and characters, it's hard to decide where to start, which one to highlight.

The cast of characters covered different socioeconomic backgrounds, different views of pregnancy and motherhood, between the main character, Riki (whose journey with her changing ideas of motherhood we follow most closely), to her friend from the hospital (averse to the idea of surogacy, viewing motherhood as 'sacred'), to Yuko (whose ideas, similarly to Riki's, undergo various ups and downs) to the one who initiated the whole process - the father Motoi (for whom children are merely an extension of himself, a way to pass on his genes, a second self through which he can live vicariously after his glory days of ballet are a thing of the past). For such a sizeable cast, not one of the characters felt flat or like mere caricatures, each went through a deeply personal arc in relation to the process of surogacy.

I particularly enjoyed the conversation around Riki's surogacy, and how much control over her own body she ought to give to the Kusaokes, the subtle dehumanisation of the surogate, who's seen as "just providing a service", how much of a human money can buy.

My one gripe with the novel was the prose - often times it felt a tad too direct, and I'm not sure whether it's a matter of translation or a cultural difference (that's something I've noticed in other translations from Japanese too). Either way, once you get into the meat of the story, it stops being too noticeable.

Overall, though I went into this book with reasonably high expectations, it certainly did not disappoint - by no means a simple, one-dimensional exploration of surogacy, "Swallows" hides depths that the blurb doesn't quite let on.

Unfortunately tjis one wasn't for me. Too slow, too long, characters had no depth.... In geberal, I think is either badñy exevuted or the translation has also something to woth it. I didn't find it engaging, ot was disappointing.

Motoi is a retired ballerina looking to prove that he's still 'got it' through the power of his genes. Yuko is his scandalous second wife struggling to reckon with her insecurities – a struggle instigated by her own infertility. Riki is a loner from a small town who wants more freedom in her life than living paycheck to paycheck, and is honestly the only person in this book who has any right to be debating the moral and emotional quandries of surrogacy.

I think you can tell that Swallows was initially written well before 2025, because its commentary on how capitalism reinforces and often effects misogyny could definitely have gone further: in my opinion, it's too attached to a binary view of gender and the sentimental notion of the 'mother-child bond' to be really provocative. However, that doesn't stop the book from still feeling remarkably relevant to the conversation, especially since the viewpoints espoused by the characters are so often reiterated today.

None of these people are particularly easy to empathise with (mired in varying levels of self-justification and self-doubt as they are), which makes the reading experience equal parts fascinating and discomforting. Beyond the main trio, Kirino includes a real range of perspectives from within Japanese society, providing insight into the full spectrum of their priorities, desires – and problems.

An exploration of the impact of Japanese society and legal system on the experience of surrogacy in Japan. Our protagonist is a young woman living in poverty and struggling with finding a future for herself, both professionally and personally. An upper middle class couple struggling to have children contacts her, and things spiral from there. The book looks at the psychological effects of surrogacy on all involved, and the ambiguity of the emotional states that emerge.

The book is a departure from the other books by the author translated into English, and is, in some ways, not what I expected. The similarity is in the continued exploration of the struggles of women and mothers in Japanese society, and the extreme steps that some people take to free themselves from the burdens imposed on them. Where it's different is that this is a much more introspective book, and there is less overt violence and energy.

I liked the book overall - it was informative, well written, and captivating. The characters are well articulated and it's very hard not to feel deeply for the protagonist's situation and emotional state. It's also well researched, showing a deep understanding of both the bureaucratic and emotional trappings of the process of surrogacy in Japan.

In that way, it's a great book. If you're interested in Japan, women in Japan, surrogacy and IVF in Japan, or the emotional traps of surrogacy in general, this is a perfect fit for you. If you're looking for a book similar to Out or Grotesque - this is not it.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

i have many thoughts and feelings that push and pull and sway this way and that on this subject so im always interested to see other sides or ways of looikng at it. and this book did pose and cover those all important themes and questions to do with this book. but its such a complex subject. the need for some to be a parent, a mother you cant ever really judge that can you? but lines have been crossed. and people other than those seeking it and making profit from these people is a darker side to this subject especially surrounding certain choices people are making available surrounding children. and we also have a great insight into what another culture thinks and believes surrounding such an area so that adds another interesting layer to this read.
this story follows a young woman who is working as a temp in Tokyo. her financial worries are becoming a weight on her shoulders. s when she comes across the idea and opportunity to be a surrogate she thinks it solves all problems. there
some part of this book were unsettling and it became more so with how realistic these uneasy feeling were to what we are actually dealing with in our world today. there is a feeling that tickers through this whole book, its one that almost leaves you nervous.
i left this book with a few blurred feelings. i never quite new who i felt sorry for or if indeed it was more than one. or infact if it was more to feel sympathy for a 'situation' and not necessarily the characters themselves.
you see even my review sounds like its all over the place. im in a few places on this book. and for a book like this i think thats an ok place to be.
it was smart piece of work and felt different to my norm and so was a fresh take on reading a story for me.

I absolutely loved the concept of this. The topic was really interesting and I found myself quite enamoured with the characters and their friends. My beef with this book was the way the centre section dragged out, it seemed to stall quite a bit before anything happened. And whilst i still enjoyed the dialogue between characters, I just found myself wanting a bit more, and a bit sooner

From the synopsis, ‘Swallows’ ought to be an intriguing and enlightening exploration of fertility, gender and class in modern Japan; however, due to its poor execution, instead it is an unengaging, unbelievable, and ultimately unrewarding read.

Often infertility stories focus solely on the experience of the woman facing fertility issues, and I like that ‘Swallows’ instead includes a wider range of perspectives. But, unfortunately, the characters used to explore these perspectives are unrealistic, wooden in their thoughts, speech and actions, and unlikeable in an off-putting way. The book is also littered with inaccuracies when it comes to fertility treatment, pregnancy, childbirth and caring for infants. A topic like this needs to be written from a place of personal understanding and extensive research, otherwise it screams ‘false’.

The lack of understanding and realism and the poor characterisation in ‘Swallows’ leads to it feeling juvenile, reminding me of tweenage-written fanfiction, and that’s just not the kind of writing I want to read. The non-specificity of the writing and the overuse of telling doesn’t help with this juvenile feel. Nor does the constant repetition, where what characters have done, thought or said is restated multiple times, as if the author doesn’t trust the reader to be able to retain information from one paragraph to the next. Without all this repetition, the book would have been half the length.

By the end, there is no character growth, and the ending itself is predictable and unrealistic. I hoped there would be a twist that would suddenly give the book meaning I’d previously missed—that it would turn out to be a work of genius that up until that point I simply hadn’t appreciated—or something would save the writing quality’s nosedive trajectory, but instead I was left feeling dejected about the state of publishing and feeling my time could have been far better spent.

Personally, I can’t recommend this book. I wanted to like it, but aside from an interesting premise, it didn’t offer anything for me to like.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Natsuo Kirino and Canongate Books for the ARC. My review will be posted on Instagram, Amazon UK, Goodreads and The StoryGraph near or on the publication date.

THIS IS WHY MEN ⌵
SHOULDN'T MEDDLE IF YOUR THING DOESN'T PRODUCE STUFF HUMAN. stfu and sit at the sideline, please.

Main note: I love how this book portrays sex and sexuality in the midst of Japanese culture, and how surrogacy are viewed.

More sidenote: This book doesn't leave anything to imagination like Out, Grotesque and Real World does. It's just telling us a story...and the underlying society stigma at its tail.

This has snuck up on me, I can't believe we have new #natsuokirino !?!? Very exciting! #swallows is out 14th August in the UK.

Twenty-nine-year-old Riki is sick of her dead-end job, of struggling to get by ever since she moved to Tokyo from the country. So when someone offers her the chance to become a surrogate in return for a life-changing amount of money, it's hard to turn down. But how much of herself will she be forced to give away?

Retired ballet star Motoi and his wife, Yuko, have spent years trying to conceive. As Yuko begins to make peace with her childlessness, Motoi grows increasingly desperate for a child to whom he can pass on his elite genes. Their last resort is surrogacy; a business transaction, plain and simple. But as they try to exert ever more control over Riki, their contract with her starts to slip through their fingers . . .

Vibrating with the injustices of class and gender, tradition and power, Swallows is an acerbic, witty vision of contemporary Japan, and of a young woman's fight to preserve her dignity - at any cost.

#honnomushi100 #reading #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #booklover #bookstagram #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #translatedjapanesefiction #books2025 #japaneseliterature #japaneselit

I found Swallows a very thought-provoking read with its depiction of power in-balance through wealth and gender. The premise was compelling and I was interested to keep reading to see how the situation would resolve by the end of the book. I found that finale satisfying overall and thought it rounded things off nicely for all the characters. The characters themselves were what let the book down a little for me though. I found their dialogue stilted and unbelievable at times, and I always felt a step detached from all of them and never came to care deeply about any of them; although that might have been intentional on the part of the author: to keep the reader at arm's length, making the work less emotional and more a rational consideration. Still, this was an interesting read if not a compelling one, so I am giving it four stars.

3.5 stars
This was a really interesting and relevant book with important commentary on motherhood and capitalism. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of any of the characters, I appreciate how complex and realistic their decisions and emotions were. Some of the conversations felt a little stiff and unrealistic, as did some of the plot points. But still, this was an entertaining read that raised several important questions around the ethics behind surrogacy.

Disappointing.

An interesting premise from an author whose previous works I’ve enjoyed, Swallows is slow paced, repetitive and overly long.

I found the characters to be caricatures with no depth and as a result I wasn’t invested in the story and didn’t particularly care what happened. Pacing was far too slow leaving the ending to be rushed.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the ARC.

I thought this was really fantastic, brilliantly done, even though obviously could be improved in terms of pacing, structure and dialogues. It felt unnecessarily anticlimactic because the narrative felt sort of bunched up and rushed but also over-explained in the later part of the novel. Characters could be written better as well in my opinion. Would have loved them to have more layers to enable readers to feel more towards them. I felt like because the characters were too boxed-in - into their individual roles, this allowed too much emotional distance between the readers and the writing. It almost felt like the characters were moulded into caricatures or something like that. All that aside, I thought the narrative in general was very well crafted. The sort of story the world needs today. Leaves a lot to think about. Weird thing to say but I miss Natsuo Kirino's voice. The right amount of unhinged if that helps. It's almost like - I know you're about to go off and tell me something wild, but I think it's going to be totally worth my time.

A really emotive book about a subject that I feel is still a bit taboo and doesn't get written about a lot. I found it fascinating to read, although it did get a bit slow at times.