Take a photo of a barcode or cover
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Classism
Minor: Stalking
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a weird (in a good way), character driven, “we live in a society” book. Murata examines class, gender, sexuality, capitalism, patriarchy, neurodivergence, and ableism through a convenience store and the strange woman who works there. This is another book where I have entire theses written in the margins.
Murata writes beautifully and so much thought went into the word choice. The characters were developed in just the right way. Also you’d be doing yourself a disservice to not read the essay (letter to the convenience store) at the end. Highly recommend.
Murata writes beautifully and so much thought went into the word choice. The characters were developed in just the right way. Also you’d be doing yourself a disservice to not read the essay (letter to the convenience store) at the end. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Classism
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Classism
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Stalking
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a disappointing read. The story was very simple, I could not relate to the characters and strongly disliked most of them. I guess it is the author’s intention, but I was annoyed by the way Keiko let other people deal with her. The ending was okay, but kind of the way I expected it to be. Not a must-read ( at least definitely not if you’re not a store-worker yourself, in that case it might be more meaningful). There were a few good lines though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to try my best to make this a spoiler-free review. I'm still not sure about my thoughts on this book overall, and I thought the ending was strange, but it definitely prompted a lot of interesting discussion amongst my friends and I. I thought the book had a lot of interesting things to say about capitalism, womanhood, and societal expectations/values. You can even say that the book is an allegory for fitting into society, particularly with Keiko's implied neurodiversity. The way Keiko is made to choose between her job and a better job, even marriage. Even Keiko just being employed isn't good enough, despite her loyalty to her job, which presents capitalism's double-edged sword of people's worth being tied to work. So many of Keiko's colleagues, friends, and family saw Keiko as "weird" for not conforming to societal expectations, when in reality, Keiko probably did not care much. Although she refers to herself as needing to be cured, it's clear that it's a result of shame she endures due to those comments and the idea of needing to be "useful," but by the end, she seems to overcome it.
The ending could have been better, and I think it would've been a more logical conclusion for Keiko to become the manager of the store instead of quitting, particularly as she's been there for almost two decades, and knows the store inside out. Overall, an interesting read nonetheless.
The ending could have been better, and
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Classism
Minor: Misogyny
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Classism
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Minor: Rape