‘Tender…yet creepy’: Under the eyes of a big bird
Most fiction that looks to a future where humanity faces extinction is bleak. The same cannot be said about enchantment Under the eye of a big birdwritten by Hiromi Kawakami and translated by Asa Yoneda. This is a more tender – and yet still haunting – look at our end.
We enter a world where humanity has been divided into isolated communities to try to save them. Each is watched over by mysterious Guardians, while mysterious mothers help raise the children. At first this collection of short stories seems unrelated, but the stories form a fascinating whole that spans thousands of years. Along the way we meet clones, people with three eyes, mind readers and people who can photosynthesize.
It’s a wonderful look at what it means to be human, from love and friendship to loneliness and despair. We can also glimpse people at their worst, whether in hints of what came before or how we might respond to those who are different from us.
Eleanor Parsons
Magazine Editor, London
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