A Personal Matter
Kenzaburō Ōe
 Bird's son, like Ōe's, was born with a brain hernia, however at the end of the novel this is revealed to be a false diagnosis of a benign tumor. Bird tries to escape his responsibility for the child and his crumbling relationship with his wife &ndash; turning to alcohol and an old girlfriend. Bird is fired from his job teaching at a cram school in the process. He half attempts to kill the child, albeit indirectly, and is forced to make a decision as to whether or not he wants to keep the child.