Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – Audio

Book Blurb:

Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers’ style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society’s expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko’s contented stasis—but will it be for the better?

My Review: 4.5 stars

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Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata was an impactful and important read that can be read quickly, or in my case – a three hour listen. There is so much to love and think about in this succinct book. My book club is discussing it tonight and I’m excited for a rich discussion.

Keiko’s differences are what make her special, yet the world around her wants her to be normal. Through her inner dialogue and interactions with co-workers, the reader really begins to understand her, and root for her acceptance of herself. As a convenience store worker, she is often looked down on, yet for her, the structure has given her a sense of purpose.

Just learning how she deals with customers, her ability to mimic her co-workers vocal cadence, understanding of what fitting in means and socializing was insightful to read. I loved this character and even more, I loved that in real life, the author is a convenience store worker.

There were times the reader saw how easy it was for others to manipulate her, which broke my heart, not hers. I laughed out loud after a fired male associate moves in with her and she brings him his “feed” as if he’s her pet. This short book really packs a punch. Well done!

Quotes I liked:

My present self is formed almost completely of the people around me.”

“When something was strange, everyone thought they had the right to come stomping in all over your life to figure out why.”

“You eliminate the parts of your life that others find strange–maybe that’s what everyone means when they say they want to ‘cure” me.”

“I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality— all simply store workers.”

“When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. I find this fascinating, and I like to look them in the face when they do this to me. And as i do so I always think: that’s what a human is.”