An intriguing look at infertility, surrogacy, classism, and Japan. Riki is living on the margins until she agrees to become a surrogate for the wealthy Yuko and Motoi. Worlds and values clash as the pregnancy proceeds but this is less about the child than the parents, who are not likable characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of world fiction.

Kirino’s Swallows, or The Swallows Don’t Return, follows 29-year-old Riki Ōishi’s financial instability, having moved from Hokkaido to Tokyo, and her decision to become a surrogate for the Kusaoke family. Yuko (44) and Motoi Kusaoke (43) want to have children, but doctors diagnose Yuko with uterine factor infertility. Through Planté, an American assisted-reproductive-technology clinic, the wealthy Kusaokes connect with Riki and convince her to take an illegal contract job as a traditional surrogate. They hire a physician to artificially inseminate Riki with Motoi’s gametes in the hopes of fertilizing Riki’s gametes.

Be prepared for a dramatic psychological book. The ongoing ethical questions concerning the transactional nature of surrogacy and the exploitation of people who work as surrogates. It seems Kirino’s interests lie within the dynamics of socioeconomic class, how people (particularly women) in a lower income class survive, and how people in a higher income class utilize their finances. The issue isn’t that the Kusaokes don’t pay Riki a “fair” wage; rather, Riki’s ongoing dehumanizing grind limits her to a set of options. The more fundamental concern is the fact that her circumstances corner her to explore the surrogacy industry’s commodification of wombs for pay. As readers untangle Riki’s ever-growing mound of problems, the three main perspectives in the story (Riki, Yuko, and Motoi) simultaneously wrestle with what they desire. Their constant change of heart may give readers whiplash.

In comparison to the time pre-pregnancy, the author breezes through Riki’s pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum. This is not to say contracts aren’t drawn and amended; however, a more intensive look at Riki’s life beforehand underscores how “[s]he was just a woman—an organism with a uterus—a baby-making machine.” I wonder if the book could be strengthened if the author would include at least one character who chooses to parent out of love, not one that is unrealistically virtuous, absolutely speaking, but one in which nobler, altruistic motivations shine more clearly. Although the novel is more dramatic than I would usually prefer (i.e., Who is the biological baby daddy? Whoa, twins), I enjoyed Kirino’s focus on Riki’s background as coming a less wealthy family; thus, to the high cultured Kusaoke family, she was “[a] woman who had used her reproductive organs to birth a total stranger’s children.”

I rate Swallows 2 stars only because I would have preferred a little bit less drama.

My thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an ARC. I shared this review on GoodReads on September 4, 2025 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7870077799).

This is my first book from this author and now I want to read everything they have written. Swallows is a book that deals with delicate and sensitive topics for women; infertility and surrogacy. Riki is struggling and needs money. Her friend suggests she sell her eggs, but instead is asked to be a surrogate. This is not common in Tokyo for many reasons. This book took me on a journey I was not expecting. I learned so much about the culture and struggles in Japan for women. This was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. I won’t soon forget this one. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I can see why it is highly anticipated. It is beautifully crafted and it gives such an interesting view of someone who needs money so badly they are willing to sell almost anything including their body so that someone might have a child. Watching what this family had to go through in order to for Riki to be used as a surrogate is crazy. Such a difference in culture, but so well explained for a reader who might not understand the intricacies of Japanese culture around this issue. I really loved Riki and her voice throughout the story. Watching her struggle between is this what I want to do, am I doing the right thing, will I be attached to the baby etc. was just very genuine. Overall, a masterfully crafted book and one I really think readers are going to enjoy.
Thank you so much to Knopf, Vintage and Anchor for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I've enjoyed previous books from this author, so I was looking forward to reading this. Her other books tended to be darker, so I was a bit confused by the tone of this novel. I truly couldn't get into the book both plotwise and character wise. I really tried to ride it out as long as I could but it simply wasn't getting interesting for me so I gave up at 45%.

Swallow provided a well written insight into the world of surrogacy and infertility. The heartbreak and desperation of well intentioned people was well drawn and the reader was able to relate to all sides as they navigated these highly emotional waters.

Riki is twenty-nine years old and struggling to make it as a temp worker in Tokyo. She so much wants a better life, but can’t see a different future for herself. Then her best friend suggests they sell their eggs to score some big money. Riki applies and is offered a contract as a surrogate mother instead.
This work of women’s fiction is about how women are perceived as commodities, their value based on their ability to bear children. This story is told through the points of view of three very different women and explores in-depth the subject of fertility and surrogacy. It also addresses class issues and in particular the struggles of the lower class. It’s one of those thought provoking books. I’m still thinking about it days after I finished reading it. This would be a great read for a book club. I can just imagine all the lively discussions that it would give rise to.

I love slightly dystopian stories about motherhood and the choices women make. This made me think, made me feel, I loved every page.

It's been more than ten years since we've had a novel from Natsuo Kirino. It's not that she hasn't been publishing books it's that her book that was supposed to come out years ago never came out. It's a mystery why but there you go. Now I'm excited to report she out with a fantastic book called Swallows. It's about a down on her luck woman named Riki who is from Hokkaido bit now lives in Tokyo to have a better life. She goes from job to job until an offer she can't refuse comes up. Be a surrogate mother to a couple and then give the baby to the paents. Problem is that it's illegal to do this in Japan. She has to marry the man with the wife divorcing him. She then has to have the baby, give it up and then divorce the man and the ex-wife then gets to marry and enjoy the baby. I don't want to give away much more but it's a back and forth on women and what they have to endure in a man's world. It's an absolute page turner and an ending that will blow your mind. Oh and did I mention the woman having the baby is having twins and sleeping around with other men. Read this book and the best news is Knopf is publishing another one of her books in 2027! Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the read. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

This was an engaging and well-written book that kept my interest throughout. The author delivered strong ideas and storytelling, with memorable moments that made it stand out. While there were a few areas that could have been expanded or polished further, overall it was an enjoyable and worthwhile read. I would recommend it to others looking for a thoughtful and rewarding experience.

Swallows is a modern book about modern issues. Surrogacy isn't commonplace in Japan.

Natsuo Kirino has written the story of a young woman facing financial struggles who agrees to be a surrogate for an upper-class couple in order to survive. Told from three perspectives, the young woman, the wife, and the husband, this examines the relationship and ownership of these relationships. This is also an excellent view of taboos in Japan: female sexuality, asexual preferences, female roles within a family, class, and power.

I do think that sometimes themes and nuance are lost in translation and casual readers will miss the depth of this story and the precarious nature of Asian society and taboos.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I appreciate the fact that there was a wider range of perspectives surrounding infertility in this one, but all of the characters are flat. Like, flat flat. There's nothing there; they are wooden and have zero dimension.

This book was hard for me to read. All the language barriers. The names threw me off a little, trying to understand what things were called. I got lost a few times around. The story is a sad one, women trying to have children, freezing eggs, surrogacy, and the likes. This book was not easy to read for all the reasons listed above.

I really struggled to get through this one. I haven’t came across a book this hard to read in a very long time.

3.75 rounded to 4

When Riki a young single woman living in Tokyo, makes an impulsive decision to become a surrogate for a wealthy couple in hopes to escape the precarity of her life. The uncertainty of her decision quickly sends her spiraling and she begins questioning everything that has gone wrong in her life to get her to the point where she is desperate enough to trade her “womb” for money.

If you’re in any way a bit sapped from all the pregnancy/mommy fiction books that have been published in the last five years, I think you might find some enjoyment with this one. I found this narrative offered a unique perspective that will likely elicit different questions and ideas for readers. I liked that this book puts less focus on the actual horrors or being pregnant or how a woman's worth is defined by her ability to be a mother. The book definitely explores the silent struggle that some women experience as a result of fertility issues. It even touches on the societal shame some women face when they simply have no desire to become mothers. But overall I found the theme of class and how that impacts one’s self worth to be the driving force in this story.

Riki, as a main character, was incredibly frustrating, and this wasn’t a bad thing, it made the story a lot more engrossing and dramatic in a funny “soap opera” way that I wasn’t expecting from a book with this subject matter. She continually makes careless decisions that had me screaming at my kindle, literally up until the very end Riki had me in “brace for impact” mode. But just as soon as I finished the book, I was left with a great deal of empathy for her, she was quite simply trying to survive. Like so many of us, doing our best to navigate with the tools that we have.

There is also a side character Ririko, an asexual artist who creates salacious paintings showcasing female sexual liberation. She is crass, funny, and very sex obsessed, lol. Her placement in the story provided a unique perspective that was oddly, for me, the most sensible of the characters.

The element I liked the least, is that throughout the book we are given multiple character point of views and I understand that this served as a means of character development for some of the other major players in the book but I am not sure they were entirely necessary. I feel like very early on we were able to grasp who these characters were and what they were about, ultimately, I found myself a bit bored with these bits and it slowed the story down.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book, specifically if you enjoy books about motherhood, but possibly a bit burnt out from them. Thanks so much to netgalley, the publisher, and author for an arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read "Out" by Natsuo Kirino and adored it, so I was very excited to see more of her work being published in English.

This is very different from "Out" though it's equally as impressive. Don't go into this expecting another action-packed thriller, it's truly a meditation on it's subject matter and a tempered character study. If anything, Kirino's writing is incredibly impressive in the range her work displays.

Kirino's musings on surrogacy, wealth, and the commodification of human relationships is unflinching. Her writing is methodical and layered. I'll read anything she puts to paper and look forward to her next translated work!

Natsuo Kirino delivers another haunting and unsettling novel with Swallows. Known for her sharp, unflinching portrayals of women and the darker sides of human nature, she once again brings us a story that is quiet in its surface but corrosive underneath.

At first glance, the narrative feels subdued, following a woman whose life seems ordinary. But Kirino slowly peels back the layers to reveal festering resentment, suffocating silence, and the devastating toll of choices left unspoken. The atmosphere is chilling, heavy with loneliness, and the tension builds not through dramatic twists, but through the quiet corrosion of a life unraveling.

What I admire most about Kirino’s writing is how she forces the reader into uncomfortable spaces—where sympathy collides with judgment, and you find yourself torn between anger and compassion for her characters. The translation captures her precision beautifully, giving the prose a stark clarity that makes the emotional weight land even harder.

Swallows isn’t a book meant to comfort or entertain. It lingers, unsettles, and gnaws at you long after the last page. Readers who appreciated Out and Grotesque will recognize the same edge here, though this novel is quieter in its devastation.

Overall: unsettling, atmospheric, and deeply thought-provoking. A powerful read for those who appreciate literary noir and Kirino’s signature darkness.

"Moody, unsettling… and not what you expect."

Swallows by Natsuo Kirino pulled me in with its quiet tension and complex, layered storytelling. This isn’t a book that rushes you it’s one you settle into, letting the unease build little by little until you realize you’ve been holding your breath. Kirino has such a way of writing characters who feel so real, flaws and all, that you can’t help but be drawn into their tangled emotions and moral gray areas.
It’s moody, atmospheric, and a bit unsettling in the best way. The ending left me thinking about the choices we make, the truths we hide, and how they change the people around us. A read that stays with you.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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This was an interesting look at issues of class, gender, sexuality and parenthood in modern Japan. I enjoyed the focus on the characters' various backgrounds -- how their birthplace, family, upbringing, education, etc create freedoms or restrictions that influence the course of their lives -- as well as the small but meaningful details of the characters' homes and workplaces, the meals they eat, and how they go about their daily lives. I especially enjoyed the focus on characters who've come to Tokyo from small, economically depressed rural towns and find themselves struggling to make it work in the city but unable to just go home either.

The vibrant secondary characters (the prima ballerina mother-in-law, the asexual shunga artist, the male sex worker) interested me more than the protagonist, who was so indecisive and uncertain about who she is and what she wants in life that I found it difficult to really get a grasp of her character. I know that that uncertainty about her identity and role in life is central to the character, but I really felt a lack of any significant through-line whatsoever. The narrative raises a lot of compelling ethical questions surrounding surrogacy, but the central characters went through so much back-and-forth, making impulsive decisions and then changing their mind just as quickly, that I felt like none of the ideas were really explored to their fullest extent. That constant uncertainty also undercut the impact of the protagonist's momentous final decision -- it left me wondering if these characters wouldn't all just change their minds and make different arrangements again.

A story that gives you so much to think about. Riki becomes a surrogate for Motoi and Yuko, mostly because she is tired of struggling in Tokyo. All parties go into this believing that it would just be a business transaction, but so much more comes into play.

Loved this book! The ending was not what I expected, which made me love this even more.

Can't wait to read more from this author.

I just finished Swallows by Natsuo Kirino, and wow—what a complicated, morally fraught ride. At the center is Riki, a temp worker from rural Hokkaido scraping by in Tokyo who eventually becomes a surrogate for a wealthy couple with troubles conceiving. Watching her negotiate desperation, bodily autonomy, and power imbalances left me so conflicted. Some moments pulled me in; others made me stop and cringe at how transactional and surreal the whole arrangement felt.

I swear, every character in this book is flawed—and not in a charming way. Riki, Motoi, and Yūko are all messy, self-absorbed, full of changing motivations and emotional flip‑flops. It feels like Kirino is deliberately holding up a mirror to the deadlock of privilege, economics, and identity. This isn’t comforting reading—it’s disturbing, to be honest—but it lingers in your gut long afterward. The pacing is slow and circular at times, with lots of repetitive dialogue, and yeah, some readers felt translation hiccups made it feel stilted or awkward. But even so, I kept turning pages.

In the end Swallows feels like a provocative essay disguised as fiction. It asks: what does it cost to survive? And who really owns our bodies or our choices? I don’t know that I loved it—but I’ll definitely be thinking about it for days.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ – 3.5 out of 5 stars