Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Summary:

Keiko doesn’t fit in. She’s 36 years old, she’s never had a boyfriend and she’s been working in the same convenience store for eighteen years. Her parents wish she’d get a better job. Her friends wonder why she won’t get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she’s not going to let anyone take her away from her convenience store. 

About the Author:

A bestselling literary sensation, Sayaka Murata has won all of Japan’s major literary prizes. Murata spent eighteen years working part time in convenience stores before the success of Convenience Store Woman afforded her the freedom to leave and write full time. She is also the author of Earthlings and Life Ceremony. 

Rating:

4 stars - ★★★★☆

Review:

Convenience Store Woman was so simple and so beautifully odd, I really couldn’t put it down. Keiko was a wonderful quirky character and I related to her on so many levels. She’s incredibly self-aware and intelligent. She knows that she’s different but she’s just happy and comfortable in her life, and doesn’t need anything more than that. How lucky is she to have found what makes her truly happy so early in life. 

I love a book which shows the very mundane day-to-day life of characters, where they find joy and where they find comfort. And this is definitely one of those kinds of books. Keiko lives a very organised and controlled life. She does the same thing day-in day-out and she enjoys it. Except when she’s being told that she’s doing it wrong by the people around her. I’ve never understood why other people have such strong views on how other people live their life. 

It can be an emotionally difficult read, especially where Keiko has been taught that she needs to be ‘cured’. It seems that Keiko is written to have autism, or be on the spectrum in some way, and the idea that she spent her childhood going from doctor to doctor with the goal of finding a cure is very upsetting. Especially when it’s obvious that Keiko can be pretty happy by living in her own way. In fact, all the feelings of inadequacy that she feels, all come from other people telling her that the way she’s chosen to live her life isn’t right.

I really didn’t like Shiraha’s character which I assume was the idea. I got real incel vibes. But his presence was necessary, to show two different reactions to the same situation. Keiko and Shiraha are both ‘strange outsiders’ who don’t quite fit into ‘normal society’, but they both react in very different ways to that. Keiko being content and Shiraha being convinced that the world is out to get him. I would have liked to see less of Shiraha, and just read about Keiko’s life in the convenience store. 

I will say that the whole situation seemed a little dramatic to me, and maybe it would seem that way to people who have grown up how I did. However I did have to remind myself that some cultures give more weight to ‘grown up’ office jobs and settling down and having a family. It made me feel lucky that I didn’t have that kind of upbringing and I have always been encouraged to do what makes me happy, whatever that may be.

I’ve finished this book and desperately want to go to a Japanese convenience store. I’ve always viewed them as some kind of mythical place. It’s the hot food and the variety and there’s always that excitement about visiting a food shop in a different country just to see all the differences.

Despite all the depth to this book, it’s written in such a gentle, amusing way. You feel immediately sucked in and part of Keiko’s life. The pace of the story was great. 

I would recommend Convenience Store Woman to anyone who loves Japan (and wants an insider look at Japanese convenience stores) and anyone who doesn’t feel like they quite fit into society.