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A review by mimikyutie
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The humor of it is somewhat pessimistic, but I find that it succeeds at dark humor without losing aim at its intended targets. Too many books aiming to critique human nature and human civilization forget to “punch up” and make jabs at those least deserving.
Convenience Store Woman’s quirky main character is charming, relatable, and driven. She is also completely unable to related to other people and is compelled to follow strict rules in order to cope with the confusions of social norms and etiquette. She will probably never have- or, more importantly- want any other job than being a part-time employee at a convenience store and we are never meant to see her as the butt of a joke because of this. Her narrative invites us to understand and empathize with her exactly the way she is and, because of that, we come to see her way of expressing her purpose in life, warts and all.
Her love of the job manages to transcend the simple transactions of the capitalist world outside of the store and into a kind of divine purpose that is both funny and touching, especially to neurodiverse readers who have still never really found a way to explain the personal significance of their obsessions and fixations to family and friends- especially when they’re ridiculous, unprofitable, and “pointless”.
Convenience Store Woman’s quirky main character is charming, relatable, and driven. She is also completely unable to related to other people and is compelled to follow strict rules in order to cope with the confusions of social norms and etiquette. She will probably never have- or, more importantly- want any other job than being a part-time employee at a convenience store and we are never meant to see her as the butt of a joke because of this. Her narrative invites us to understand and empathize with her exactly the way she is and, because of that, we come to see her way of expressing her purpose in life, warts and all.
Her love of the job manages to transcend the simple transactions of the capitalist world outside of the store and into a kind of divine purpose that is both funny and touching, especially to neurodiverse readers who have still never really found a way to explain the personal significance of their obsessions and fixations to family and friends- especially when they’re ridiculous, unprofitable, and “pointless”.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment
The protagonist’s roommate of convenience is a misogynist asshole who frequently bemoans the “sexual value” of men and women, sometimes using the language of sexual violence and sexual tokenism.