parchment 's review for:

The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida

1.5

slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

---

The story features a chain of convenience stores “Tenderness”, set in Kyushu. The spotlight on various convenience store foods and known food pairings were the only saving grace. 

I found the writing to be awkward and very disjointed. There was effort to link the various short stories through the characters. However, the characters were flat and unlikeable. Each of the short stories did not feel thought out and were shallow with little or no resolution. The weirdest part for me was the store manager and his fan club. I cannot wrap my head around the concept as it feels like a scene from an anime—a chaotic one, unlike the vibes that this seaside store is trying to emulate. The author also tried to build the story around the manager, Mitsuhiko Shiba, and his family. His brother, Tsugi, was an interesting recurring character. Conversely, I disliked how his sister was introduced and how ridiculous the entire scene was. 

Perhaps the book would have felt more cohesive with half the number of short stories, but each more fleshed out and complete. The epitome of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.