I’ve been recently finding myself drawn back into reading short stories from some favourites like George Saunders and Haruki Murakami (particularly men without women, I also have Hemingway’s collection of the same name lined up to read).
However reading Murakami in particular reminds me of a lot of criticism I’ve read of his writing which suggests his writing of women isn’t accurate and perhaps overly sexual. I’ve heard similar criticisms of other authors I’ve enjoyed as I’ve probably mostly read fiction from male authors.
I recently read Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami and enjoyed how she spoke about things like menstruation, body image, loneliness and the decision to have children from a female perspective which seemed really direct and realistic, not just romanticising the female experience but giving an honest portrayal. At least that’s how I felt reading it.
I’m not looking to read the most popular romance novels aimed at housewives, full of gossip and steamy love interests etc. I would just like to understand the female experience a bit better so I don’t get caught out more in my personal life trying to guess the right things to say and do.
I’m sorry if this belongs in book recommendations but I’d really appreciate help finding literature that helps with this problem.
by W0rstcaseontario