Book review: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

 Convenience Store Woman

by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Finished reading: 13/06/21

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

“When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. […] 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.”

Convenience Store Woman is a Japanese novel that follows thirty-six-year-old Keiko Furukura who has worked at the Hiiromachi Smile Mart convenience store for eighteen years. Keiko has never felt normal and never understood the rules of social interaction but as a convenience store worker, the rules are laid out perfectly for Keiko to follow. Keiko is happy but her family and friends are determined for Keiko to find a “proper” job, marry and have children before it’s too late.

This novel reminded me a lot of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and I am certain that Honeyman must have taken inspiration from Murata. There are definite parallels between the two although both have very different angles. I absolutely loved the narrative voice in EOICF and have since looked for something with similar impact. I came across Convenience Store Woman by chance and the premise intrigued me but was pleasantly surprised by its depth and nuances.

I am really surprised that this book is sold as a “funny” story. I was almost expecting a Japanese Bridget Jones novel based on the blurbs on the cover. After rereading these author quotes on the cover again, I almost feel as though I read a different book. I do not think that this book is supposed to make you laugh, I think it is supposed to make you feel either sad or angry or both. I’m really shocked at the emphasis on comedy in the marketing of this book as this just seems to take away from the message of the book.

CSW beautifully explores the struggle and pressures that neurodivergent individuals face to be perceived as “normal” in a neurotypical world. Although Murata does not explicitly label Keiko, Keiko certainly displays traits on the autistic spectrum. I love books that feel as though I am wearing someone else’s brain and this book certainly delivered this. I found Keiko’s behaviour and reasoning fascinating in a depressing sort of way. Specifically, how Keiko’s childhood experiences seemingly caused Keiko to detach herself from the world.

I absolutely loved the social commentary throughout this book. It has a strong theme of societal pressures to conform—applicable to neurotypical people just as much as neurodivergent people. It focuses largely on this idea that it is more important to be perceived as happy externally than it is to feel happy and fulfilled internally. It was interesting to see a magnifying glass over this product of Japanese culture so often avoided. Japan commercially sold using its kawaii appearance and we forget the more sinister work and marital pressures.

The imagery and language used to describe the convenience store was so effective and really brought the setting to life. You can tell this novel was written from Murata’s experiences of working in this role. It read like poetry in places and the way Keiko describes this sterile and robotic environment as so warm and comforting. As someone who has worked in retail, I found elements relatable and yet the way Keiko reacts to these in an unusual way made me really re-evaluate these. I enjoyed seeing a convenience store through Keiko’s eyes and it genuinely changed my perspective.

Overall, a really thought-provoking read and I’m so glad I picked it up. I actually found the ending weirdly uplifting and the whole piece very much felt like a protest against society.  I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick read and something a bit different.