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merlin_grey 's review for:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
4.5
challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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: Yes
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot to think about. I was fascinated by the way the main character and her life (working part-time at a convenience story for 18 years) are so different from my own, but at the same time there are aspects of her struggles that feel very relatable to me. Definitely, as an aro-spec person, I’ve felt some of the quiet pressure or lack of understanding from friends and family that the main character experiences (as someone who is 36 and has never been interested in marriage). And it really is interesting to reflect on how other people will pick aspects of your life and project their own values onto them, making a story of their own that they can understand, when your perspective seems too different to them. The book delves into some deep issues and sometimes seems pessimistic about the way people treat each other (especially those who differ from the norm), and society as a whole. However, it was a bit uplifting to see that in the end, what matters more is how we personally feel about the life that we’re living and whether we’re satisfied with it, rather than what other people might think about it. It’s important to find a community we can be part of and make a meaningful contribution to, but it’s equally important that we do so on our own terms.

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