Convenience Store Woman

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Asian Fiction, Contemporary, Dead Pan 160 pages 4/5 stars Synopsis: Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of “Smile Mart,” she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interaction ― many are laid out line by line in the store’s manual ― and she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a “normal” person excellently, more or less. Managers come and go, but Keiko stays at the store for eighteen years. It’s almost hard to tell where the store ends and she begins. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate action…

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This is a quirky short read and from the beginning, I loved Keiko! She is a hard worker, loves her job and is very innocent. She has never been in a relationship and worked in the same job for 18 years, her family try to change her and that made me sad! I loved Keiko for who she was. The plot depicts the expectancy of society and what you should or should not be. I loved the message behind this story because Keiko did not want to live like the rest of them. She is unique and does not need anyone or anything else to make her happy.

I empathised with Keiko and would say even though she might come across as a little weird... there is nothing wrong with it! She is independent and the story is empowering but with a light touch. Murata wrote this book in a clever and contemporary way. It is a little gem!