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fitriaisyah 's review for:
The Convenience Store by the Sea
by Sonoko Machida
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As I read too many healing fiction lately, I don't think I would find "The Convenience Store by the Sea" any different. The format is typical; a collection of short stories where the characters are somehow related to the store and to each other. What's different is the range of the topic and the characters this book had and that each chapter was titled by a food sold in the convenience store.
In this book, we will meet Shiba, a convenience store manager that was described as a charming, handsome young man who had a fanclub on its own and was said to be the reason his branch become popular. But the story isn't about him at all, it's more about how the convenience store that he managed become a place the other characters visit when they went through something in their life.
My favorite story is the third and the fourth one.
The third story, "A Melancholy Strawberry Parfait" told a story about a middle school girl who find herself befriending an outcast from her class, also redefining her relationship with her longtime best friend (who's also her mother's best friend's daughter) and finding out her worth. The story is easy to read, despite the heavy topic such as bullying, dynamics in friendship, and family issues.
"A Soft Egg Porridge for a Hard Old Man" follows a retired old man, just moved to his final home with his wife and struggling to adapt to his new routine (where he didn't have to work anymore) and her changed wife. A heartwarming story about rekindling a relationship and starting a second life.
In short, this book is unexpectedly good (especially because there are A LOT of healing fiction books nowadays). Would recommend to someone who judge the book by its cover (it's me), love reading short stories and doesn't really mind "unfinished" stories, and those who wants to start reading healing fiction.
In this book, we will meet Shiba, a convenience store manager that was described as a charming, handsome young man who had a fanclub on its own and was said to be the reason his branch become popular. But the story isn't about him at all, it's more about how the convenience store that he managed become a place the other characters visit when they went through something in their life.
My favorite story is the third and the fourth one.
The third story, "A Melancholy Strawberry Parfait" told a story about a middle school girl who find herself befriending an outcast from her class, also redefining her relationship with her longtime best friend (who's also her mother's best friend's daughter) and finding out her worth. The story is easy to read, despite the heavy topic such as bullying, dynamics in friendship, and family issues.
"A Soft Egg Porridge for a Hard Old Man" follows a retired old man, just moved to his final home with his wife and struggling to adapt to his new routine (where he didn't have to work anymore) and her changed wife. A heartwarming story about rekindling a relationship and starting a second life.
In short, this book is unexpectedly good (especially because there are A LOT of healing fiction books nowadays). Would recommend to someone who judge the book by its cover (it's me), love reading short stories and doesn't really mind "unfinished" stories, and those who wants to start reading healing fiction.