Hiromi Kawakami’s Under the Eye of the Big Bird is a mesmerising work of speculative fiction that challenges conventional notions of evolution, identity, and human resilience.
Structured as a sequence of fourteen interconnected stories, the novel offers a fragmented yet deeply evocative meditation on what it means to be human in a world where biological and societal norms have been dismantled.
Set in a distant future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, the novel envisions a world in which small, isolated communities survive under the watchful care of artificial intelligences known as 'Mothers.'
In this future, reproduction is no longer solely dependent on human biology—children are created in factories from the genetic material of animals, or they develop the ability to photosynthesise and sustain themselves without conventional nourishment. The novel explores the fragile balance between these new modes of existence and the fading remnants of human civilisation.
Kawakami’s prose, delicately translated by Asa Yoneda, is hauntingly lyrical, blending scientific speculation with a dreamlike, almost mythic quality. The book’s shifting perspectives and timelines create a sense of disorientation, mirroring the uncertainty faced by its characters as they navigate a world in which the rules of life and death have been rewritten. The result is a novel that reads both as a deeply personal meditation and a sweeping vision of humanity’s potential fate.
At its core, Under the Eye of the Big Bird grapples with profound existential questions. Can love persist when reproduction is no longer a given? Can individuality survive in a world where cloning and genetic manipulation have blurred the boundaries of selfhood? Kawakami does not offer easy answers but instead invites readers to engage with the implications of a society in which survival is an open-ended experiment.
One of the novel’s most striking features is its portrayal of artificial intelligence. The 'Mothers' begin as caretakers and observers, their role ostensibly to guide human evolution. However, as the novel progresses, their relationship with their human charges becomes increasingly complex, culminating in a merging of AI and organic life. Rather than depicting AI as a cold, authoritarian force, Kawakami presents a more nuanced vision, one in which intelligence—both artificial and biological—is fluid, adaptable, and ultimately transformative.
While Under the Eye of the Big Bird shares thematic DNA with classic speculative fiction such as Kate Wilhelm’s Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang and more recent works like Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go in the Dark, Kawakami’s approach is uniquely poetic. Her depiction of a world in flux is neither purely dystopian nor utopian but instead exists in a liminal space where destruction and renewal coexist.
This is not a novel that offers a straightforward narrative; rather, it demands careful engagement from its readers. Some may find its non-linear structure and abstract world-building challenging, but those willing to immerse themselves will discover a work of extraordinary depth and beauty. Under the Eye of the Big Bird is a testament to Kawakami’s literary brilliance—a novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page has been turned.
Reviewer: Chris Reed
Allen & Unwin