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dragonlilly 's review for:
Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
First off, this is not a funny book, at least not in the way I would consider 'fun'. The deadpan manner of Keiko's speech could be funny early on, but the story is actually rather sad and a bit difficult. We have a woman who clearly seems to be on the autism spectrum and struggles everyday, because even when she puts on masks she puts together from observing and copying other people, there are still friends and family who find reasons to judge her or suggest unnecessary help. This is where Shiraha comes in, who is literally a wack incel whose almost every word is nonsensical malice. However, he offers Keiko a way to look 'normal' to her friends.
The sections with Shiraha are honestly difficult to read, and even the sections with Keiko's friends are tough too. I came to like Keiko very easily, even though she does have a couple of dark and dangerous thoughts that are startling but come from the different way she understands the world. It sucks when she is demeaned and thought odd, when she does what she loves and brings her peace and it doesn't harm anyone. People are sometimes concerned for her, but if they ever asked questions and genuinely thought about her answers without coming to conclusions or having strong, biased opinions, then they would see that she is in fact happy and they are the ones making her unhappy.
This book is an interesting batch of conformism and individuality. Keiko conforms by wearing masks, and yet this isn't enough for those around her. She finds that her true self is a convenience store worker, and yet Shiraha considers this type of job to be conformist and womanly work, but this is the job where she finds herself. She is one of many cells that are a part of the store.
I really liked this book. This was very hard for me to put down, I badly needed to see where it was going and what Keiko would say or think. There were some repetitive phrases and I wish it was a bit longer, because wow this felt short, but this is definitely a story for me to remember.
The sections with Shiraha are honestly difficult to read, and even the sections with Keiko's friends are tough too. I came to like Keiko very easily, even though she does have a couple of dark and dangerous thoughts that are startling but come from the different way she understands the world. It sucks when she is demeaned and thought odd, when she does what she loves and brings her peace and it doesn't harm anyone. People are sometimes concerned for her, but if they ever asked questions and genuinely thought about her answers without coming to conclusions or having strong, biased opinions, then they would see that she is in fact happy and they are the ones making her unhappy.
This book is an interesting batch of conformism and individuality. Keiko conforms by wearing masks, and yet this isn't enough for those around her. She finds that her true self is a convenience store worker, and yet Shiraha considers this type of job to be conformist and womanly work, but this is the job where she finds herself. She is one of many cells that are a part of the store.
I really liked this book. This was very hard for me to put down, I badly needed to see where it was going and what Keiko would say or think. There were some repetitive phrases and I wish it was a bit longer, because wow this felt short, but this is definitely a story for me to remember.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship