Swallows (novel)
| Swallows (novel) | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Eri Sakai |
|---|---|
| Magazine | Cocohana |
| Original run | February 28, 2024 – present |
| Novel | |
| Swallows | |
| Written by | Natsuo Kirino |
| Television drama | |
| Episodes | 10 |
Swallows (Japanese:燕は戻ってこない ) is a 2022 novel by Natsuo Kirino.
Plot
Riki, a 29-year-old woman originally from Hokkaido, works as a temporary worker in Tokyo hospital. Having financial troubles, she learns about surrogacy and offers to become the surrogate mother of another couple, which are Kusaoke Motoi, a former ballet dancer, and his wife Yuko.
Media
Novel
Swallows was published as a serialized novel from 2019 to 2021, and later as a full novel in 2022. It was released in English by Penguin Random House on September 9. 2025.[1]
Drama
A live action drama adaptation of Swallows would air on NHK, premiering on April 30, 2024, and ending on July 2 of the same year.[2]
Manga
A manga adaptation of Swallows, created by Eri Sakai, premiered in the magazine Cocohana on February 28, 2024. [3]
Reception
Swallows won two awards, the Mainichi Art Award in 2022 and the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award in 2023.[4]
Financial Times' Catherine Taylor gave it a positive review, calling it a "A witty portrayal of surrogacy that confronts the injustices of class and gender imbalances in Japanese society"[5]
References
- ^ "Swallows by Natsuo Kirino: 9780307267580 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
- ^ Inc, Natasha. "石橋静河、稲垣吾郎、内田有紀がドラマ「燕は戻ってこない」で共演". 映画ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-01-25.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "He's Expecting's Eri Sakai Launches Manga Based on Natsuo Kirino Novel". Anime News Network. 2026-01-25. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
- ^ Kosaka, Kris (2025-09-05). "'Swallows' untangles the murky ethics of selling motherhood". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
- ^ "Client Challenge". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2026-01-25.