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lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
I was personally not a fan of this book. I found that the translation was a little wonky, and some words didn't really line up with their intended meaning. I felt that a lot of the dialogue and subject matter was repetitive, which got annoying quickly. The characters were very one dimensional and I didn't find any of them particularly likable. Most of them were shallow and exaggerated caricatures with no nuance. I think that these overgeneralizations are metaphoric and supposed to be humorous, but they just didn't work for me. It is a short read but honestly it could have been made a lot shorter by cutting out the repetitive stuff. In addition, there isn't much of a plot and nothing really happens in the book. I just didn't enjoy reading this at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think my expectations were a little too high for this book. It had had such rave reviews I think I was expecting a little more. That being said it was an easy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is called "funny" by many reviewers, hence the tag, however with a deeper insight it is a look into the life of a deeply troubled and different person. It touches on the subject of the expectations of women, and toes the line between the story of a not-so-average woman and an existential crisis. Strongly recommend :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny
Minor: Violence
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Sexual content
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking
Moderate: Ableism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy
hopeful
inspiring
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
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Stalking
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t exactly expect this story from this book, it gave me pretty strong Parasite vibes at certain points and is unlike anything else I’ve ever read before, big recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of my favourite books. Convenience Store Woman is a book about many things, and it discusses many interesting themes that are not often talked about: especially from the perspective of a woman. For me, however, the main reason I loved this book so much is because reading it was the first time in my 20-odd years that I have truly related to a character. The main character, Keiko, is heavily coded as being neurodivergent - at least, that is what I have read into the book, as an autistic person myself. It is never explicitly mentioned in the book, if Keiko is autistic or not, but I and other autistic people online seem to have come to this conclusion. I remember excitedly telling my dad, after reading Convenience Store Woman in one 5-hour sitting, that "she thinks like me! this character is like me!" and honestly, it was a shock to me, realising that when other people read books, they don't just like characters or aspire to be like them, but can see themselves reflected back in the pages.
The plot of the book follows Keiko as she struggles through a world that does not understand her. She is a 36-year-old-woman working in a convenience store in Japan, with no partner or desire to date, and who relies on her sister to make sense of the world for her. Convenience Store Woman is a sharp, cutting, deliciously dark look at how modern women are forced to become cogs in the machine. Whether that be through consumerism, being a part of a business, where we exchange goods for money - or how women exchange their individuality to be in socially acceptable relationships. The book also explores how these two things are linked, how they are actually very similar, and reveals the illusion of choice presented to women between these two sides of the same coin. The book is about how much of ourselves we're willing to exchange in order to "fit in". Keiko simultaneously seems to know exactly what's happening, and has no idea what's happening to her. She sacrifices her wants to make the people around her happier, to make them look at her like she's one of them - that she's managed to successfully become a chameleon. But she wonders if that is worth giving up what makes her feel safe and what gives her joy. Her inner monologue, although scattered throughout the book, gives insight into the world that is true, that strikes hard, and that I do not think we would have gotten if she was written as a neurotypical person. She sees the world differently, but that does not make her herself different. Convenience Store Woman is as haunting in its prose as it is in its impact: and it is a book that has not left me since I read it.
The plot of the book follows Keiko as she struggles through a world that does not understand her. She is a 36-year-old-woman working in a convenience store in Japan, with no partner or desire to date, and who relies on her sister to make sense of the world for her. Convenience Store Woman is a sharp, cutting, deliciously dark look at how modern women are forced to become cogs in the machine. Whether that be through consumerism, being a part of a business, where we exchange goods for money - or how women exchange their individuality to be in socially acceptable relationships. The book also explores how these two things are linked, how they are actually very similar, and reveals the illusion of choice presented to women between these two sides of the same coin. The book is about how much of ourselves we're willing to exchange in order to "fit in". Keiko simultaneously seems to know exactly what's happening, and has no idea what's happening to her. She sacrifices her wants to make the people around her happier, to make them look at her like she's one of them - that she's managed to successfully become a chameleon. But she wonders if that is worth giving up what makes her feel safe and what gives her joy. Her inner monologue, although scattered throughout the book, gives insight into the world that is true, that strikes hard, and that I do not think we would have gotten if she was written as a neurotypical person. She sees the world differently, but that does not make her herself different. Convenience Store Woman is as haunting in its prose as it is in its impact: and it is a book that has not left me since I read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Stalking