A review by sophiesometimesreads
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. The pacing was great, the characters were dynamic and interesting and it raised some thought-provoking questions about societal expectations of people, in particular ageing women. Keiko was absolutely hilarious and I was rooting for her the whole time. I loved that she was so unapologetically different, and I wanted to defend her against all those who didn’t agree with her.

I loved the fact that the translation kept a few of the little Japanese language quirks in there, a few “hai” and “eh?” scattered through. I would have really loved to have known Japanese well enough to read it in Japanese but I think the English translation did a good job of portraying the story without completely removing the very characteristic Japanese language elements associated with the language in general, as well as retail language (from my basic high school Japanese knowledge and tourist experience). 

I do, personally, think the literal translation of the Japanese title being “Convenience Store Human” (if I’m not mistaken) would’ve been better, with all the themes around people coming together to form the body that is the convenience store. But it didn’t change the reading experience anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. 

Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a funny, light-hearted yet inspiring read that’s not too long either.
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