A review by koberreads
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

dark emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Delightful, Sad, Funny, Insightful

Unexpectedly one of the most thought provoking reads I had in just a few pages. Conveniently short, and conveniently satisfies my desire for reflection in a good book. The title is pretty appropriate for me because of the conveniences. No pun intended.

Good for those who want a thought provoking read on  society conformity, identify, and the double standard we have on men and women, not only in Japan but it is quite evident here

Quote from the book: “When something was strange, everyone thought they had the right to go stomping all over your life to figure our why. I found that arrogant and infuriating.” 

Makes you think about conformity and realize it is not black and white. Same thing goes for identity. It is one set of people confirm purely to society and the other set of people purely non-conformist. There is a lot of grey area in each one of us as much as each of our identity is equally vague and ever changing

No need to pressure yourself to always perfectly conform(not conform) to society and to always perfectly clear your identity. Because each of us have different lives, up bringing and point of view, and these lives and point of view change as we grow older, we just need to make sure we change and grow for the better.

This book even though it doesnt give you clear answers what is best to do in life whether to fully conform or non conform or be in the middle of conformity scale

but it does provoke thoughts about it

I cant chose what is best for the MC life here or anyones else life, I can only do my best to chose the best life I can live.

It is sad not so much because our protagonist and author is odd or a way of dealing with things but rather more so because society in any culture always force you to conform but doesnt have any empathy or show any effort understanding other people that our not conforming to our standards. As long as a person is not harming anyone with his or her life, even contributing to economy and society in there own small way in the job that they life, that person should be given the right to live life she wants. 

People just want the best for their love ones or friends but at times their approach in helping might not be right. 

Her odd desire to keep being in the convenience store even after all these years is understandable when get gradually into the story: The job provides her comfort and predictability which in turn gives her a sense of control. The routine gives peace to his mind that always struggles to act in social conventions. And there is store manual on how to act within the convience store

sadly the outside world is so complex that it almost seems impossible to write a perfect life” manual. Others have done in selfhelp books but not really perfect

I just wonder all this while why the higher ups in the company didnt promote her to store manager at least

You would meet in the middle part of the book the most memorable male character in the book not because he is handsome or has a great personality but the complete opposite. A mysoginistic, condensending a-hole haha. You would remember him through your hate. He got this work he hates for the odd and even terrible reason for marriage hunting. He is like one of the exception of great customer service crew in a convenience store. 

To parahprase the MC

"People look down on your when they notice or know you work in a convenience store and often this bias can also be experience through a person who works at convenience store and looks down on his co-workers, even though he looks down on himself because he works there." 

The MC above is reffering to the terrible guy I mentioned above. 

This guy even says to our MC:

"Dont make it sound so easy. We men have it more harder than women you know"

If this guy suddenly appeared in an auditorium filled with  feminist  and was given the microphone to give speech on stage, he wont get out of that auditorium alive, if not, he would come out of there at least beaten the hell out with blue bruised face who loves the f-king stone age haha.

I love the MC for writing this character. It makes really hate misogynist more.  I hate listening to him haha. 

I love this writer, one of the best.

I honestly cant guess what the writer will do next.

A rather small spoiler, you would be less likely to be upset in the end.

And it least the author gave justice to her MC and not let that A-hole Ishara control her life

Spoiler alert:

But okay some of her thoughts admittedly are particularly alarming to anyone who near hear who manage to somehow read her mind or she decided to speak her thoughts, for instance when she visit her sister who just had a baby:  "The baby cried and my sister quickly plucked him up to soothe him and quiet him. I look at the knife we used to cut the cake we just eaten together and thought to myself, if it is to make the baby quiet, it would be easy enough (for me, she thought to herself)"

That is alarming, and I do  think, there is like a saying or word for that particularly graphic and destructive thought, is called the "Devil's whisper", we all have dark thoughts from time to time but it shouldnt define u  Thoughts are just thoughts, hope she realizes though, they are not you and do not defined by you. They just appear, and disappeared later on, you dont have to feed it or hold on to it. You can always chose which though to entertain and which thought is the best to handle the situation. You are the one behind your thoughts, the observer of them. You are the CEO and your thoughts are your employees and you can always chose which one to keep or not for the benefit of the company that is called "Your life"  surprise suprise… the awkward guy above is also the stalker of the book. 

And surprise to surprise I already had a glimpse of foreshadowing of it. Our awkward charming but also just kind and hardworking to everyone (but just doesnt want to get married) marries this A-hole who loves the stone age and victimizing himself. Yes as  straight male reading this I was screaming no realizing this. I think no person regardless of gender would agree to this stone age dude. shiraha furukura. Damn hahahha. This is my most unexpected love team i ever had. This guy has the most shitty personality ever written hahaha.