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A review by boogiebeez
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
4.0
- i think i liked the idea of this book more than i actually ended up liking it.
- the setting of a convienience store in busy modern-day japan sounds really cool to me, i always liked liminal, flurouscent places like these.
- keiko fukukura is relatable on many levels. i understand her struggle to seem normal and wear masks of other peoples attributes and mannerisms. though never really confirmed in the story, its likely she is neurodivergent somehow (her obsessive tendencies at work, their need for set statements and order)
- shiraha is a mfing incel-parasite at its worst that man deserves both sides of his pillow to be hot at night everytime he starts talking i lose my will to live
- however, keiko and shiraha are kinda similar in the way they constantly repeat their opinions and motives in the book, keiko about how shes a cog in functioning society and shiraka about the mfing stone age and how society is still the same
- the book is sort of a look at modern day japanese society, with a rising celibacy rate, hikikomori ("hermits"), and people living alone, especially young people
- keikos relationship with the Smile Mart is dependent, she turns to it when she feels all else is too hard to understand, when she feels judged by friends and family. unlike humans, the Smile Mart is predictable, with a manual and uniform and set phrases used to greet their customers, and she needs that predictability in her life
the end was pretty good i give the entire book a 3.5
- the setting of a convienience store in busy modern-day japan sounds really cool to me, i always liked liminal, flurouscent places like these.
- keiko fukukura is relatable on many levels. i understand her struggle to seem normal and wear masks of other peoples attributes and mannerisms. though never really confirmed in the story, its likely she is neurodivergent somehow (her obsessive tendencies at work, their need for set statements and order)
- shiraha is a mfing incel-parasite at its worst that man deserves both sides of his pillow to be hot at night everytime he starts talking i lose my will to live
- however, keiko and shiraha are kinda similar in the way they constantly repeat their opinions and motives in the book, keiko about how shes a cog in functioning society and shiraka about the mfing stone age and how society is still the same
- the book is sort of a look at modern day japanese society, with a rising celibacy rate, hikikomori ("hermits"), and people living alone, especially young people
- keikos relationship with the Smile Mart is dependent, she turns to it when she feels all else is too hard to understand, when she feels judged by friends and family. unlike humans, the Smile Mart is predictable, with a manual and uniform and set phrases used to greet their customers, and she needs that predictability in her life
the end was pretty good i give the entire book a 3.5