“This recommendation was hand-selected by The Gwenin Exchange team for its alignment with Gwenin’s values of clarity, accessibility, and mindful living.”

At The Gwenin Exchange, we celebrate books that challenge our perspective and expand the imagination. Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, does exactly that, offering a mesmerising and unsettling meditation on what it means to be human.

Set in a distant future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, small tribes survive under the watchful care of the Mothers. Some children are created from the cells of animals like rabbits and dolphins, while others survive by drawing nutrients from water and light, like plants. Kawakami’s narrative spans geological aeons, exploring the fragile persistence of love, connection, and reproduction in this fragile new world.

Why We Love It:

• A bold, visionary work of science fiction and contemporary literature
• Explores the essence of humanity across time and evolution
• Challenges readers to reflect on survival, morality, and identity in a world both alien and familiar

Book Details:

• Author: Hiromi Kawakami
• Translator: Asa Yoneda
• Publisher: Granta Books
• Release Date: 16 January 2025
• Pages: 288
• Formats: Paperback & Hardback
• Categories: Modern & Contemporary Fiction, Science Fiction

For Readers Who Dare to Imagine:

This is a book for anyone fascinated by the intersection of science, philosophy, and human emotion, a story that lingers long after the final page.

Read it here: Under the Eye of the Big Bird

Thank You

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With gratitude,
The Gwenin Exchange Team

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