Let’s see – what is considered “normal” for a girl in our society? Here are some thoughts that come to mind –
1) Obtain a “respectable” qualification by a certain age.
2) Get a “good” job, earn a decent income. Reach a certain level in your organization, within a certain time.
3) Marry a “suitable” boy, earning a decent income, by a certain age – Very Important requirement.
4) Have a certain number of children, by a certain age – Very Important requirement
5) Own your own house with a pre-defined period
Well, the list goes on and on. Society, relatives, neighbours, friends have pre-conceived notions of what is “right” for a woman. But…what happens when you don’t abide by society’s norms? What if you take your own sweet time to get married? If your job/career is not considered “good” enough, and your salary doesn’t meet society’s exacting standards? What if you exceed the “acceptable” age limit to bear a child – or (gasp!) you decide you don’t want a child at all? What if (super gasp!) your sexual orientation is different? Ahhh – then it is rightfully everyone’s business, isn’t it, and it is everyone’s duty to give advice/guidance to the woman, to point out what is right!
“Convenience Store Woman” is about Keiko Furukura, who has always been considered to be somewhat odd, in school and in college, not quite “fitting in” with the rest of the crowd. Her parents and sister love her dearly, and are thrilled when she gets a job at a convenience store, at the age of 18. The problem arises when Keiko continues to work at the store for the next 18 years, with no signs of a life partner in her life, no prospects of any promotion/progress in her career. In short, Keiko does not click ANY of the boxes for what is “right” and “normal” as per the standards in their society. When a rather strange boy enters Keiko’s life, her friends and family are ecstatic – at last Keiko will have a happy life! But – does Keiko really need this weird boy at all in her life – just to keep everyone happy? What if she is happy just the way she is, loves her work (and is very good at it!), and doesn’t need a partner, nor a high flying job?
Japanese society seems alarmingly similar to ours! Here are my two primary takeaways from this delightful little book, which I read in two days –
1) Never underestimate the power of a regular employment to give you an identity, to give you a daily routine to follow, to keep you emotionally stable – in short, to keep you happy, and to keep your life in order. You don’t have to be the CEO of your company, but the easy comradeship of your colleagues, the feeling that you are good at what you are doing (however humble that work may be), getting up at a particular time in the morning and getting ready, knowing that you are wanted at your workplace – all this is so, so important. If, like Keiko, your job brings you happiness and contentment, does anyone have a right to question you ? Think of it this way – Keiko may be much happier being a Convenience Store worker, earning her paltry (by other people’s standards), leading her quiet little organized life than a woman who is in the top rungs of her organization!
2) Some people are happy on their own, and they do not feel the need for a partner! People need to respect and understand this – EVERYONE cannot follow the same set of rules. Relatives, neighbourhood aunties, nosy colleagues need to STOP hounding people who choose to live on their own terms! Please respect their privacy.
Ultimately, “Convenience Store Woman” asks the Reader one very important question. What is more important – adhering to society’s norms, however miserable you may be doing so, or being happy and fulfilled in life just the way you are?
Please click “helpful” if you like my review, and you empathize with Keiko!
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Convenience Store Woman: The multi-million copy, international bestseller Kindle Edition
by
Sayaka Murata
(Author),
Ginny Tapley Takemori
(Editor, Translator)
Format: Kindle Edition
Ginny Tapley Takemori
(Editor, Translator)
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherGranta Books
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Publication date5 July 2018
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File size214 KB
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Product description
Review
'Unapologetically deadpan yet enticingly comic... it's the novel's cumulative, idiosyncratic poetry that lingers, attaining a weird, fluorescent kind of beauty all of its own... Irresistible'--Observer
'An exhilaratingly weird and funny Japanese novel about a long-term convenience store employee. Unsettling and totally unpredictable - my copy is now heavily underlined'--Sally Rooney, Guardian
'Convenience Store Woman is a gem of a book. Quirky, deadpan, poignant, and quietly profound, it is a gift to anyone who has ever felt at odds with the world - and if we were truly being honest, I suspect that would be most of 'us'' -- Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being
'Witty, wily, and astonishingly sharp, Convenience Store Woman proves that the deepest gouges can come from the lightest touch.'-- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
'Convenience Store Woman is snarky and tender. It shows a woman trying to puzzle out how to be normal. This brilliant book will resonate with all of us who find life a little strange.'-- --Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You
'This novel made me laugh. It was the first time for me to laugh in this way: it was absurd, comical, cute... audacious, and precise. It was overwhelming'--Hiromi Kawakami, author of Strange Weather in Tokyo
'I picked up this novel on a trip to Japan and couldn't put it down. A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman.'-- --Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot
'A neat and pleasing fable that could only be Japanese... quirky, memorable'--Sunday Times
'A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky [and] profound... This is a story that readers could easily stay with all over again'--Irish Times
'[A] short, deadpan gem... This is a true original'--Daily Mail
'Delightfully weird, incredibly funny' ----Books of the Year, Refinery 29 --This text refers to the paperback edition.
'An exhilaratingly weird and funny Japanese novel about a long-term convenience store employee. Unsettling and totally unpredictable - my copy is now heavily underlined'--Sally Rooney, Guardian
'Convenience Store Woman is a gem of a book. Quirky, deadpan, poignant, and quietly profound, it is a gift to anyone who has ever felt at odds with the world - and if we were truly being honest, I suspect that would be most of 'us'' -- Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being
'Witty, wily, and astonishingly sharp, Convenience Store Woman proves that the deepest gouges can come from the lightest touch.'-- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
'Convenience Store Woman is snarky and tender. It shows a woman trying to puzzle out how to be normal. This brilliant book will resonate with all of us who find life a little strange.'-- --Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You
'This novel made me laugh. It was the first time for me to laugh in this way: it was absurd, comical, cute... audacious, and precise. It was overwhelming'--Hiromi Kawakami, author of Strange Weather in Tokyo
'I picked up this novel on a trip to Japan and couldn't put it down. A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman.'-- --Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot
'A neat and pleasing fable that could only be Japanese... quirky, memorable'--Sunday Times
'A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky [and] profound... This is a story that readers could easily stay with all over again'--Irish Times
'[A] short, deadpan gem... This is a true original'--Daily Mail
'Delightfully weird, incredibly funny' ----Books of the Year, Refinery 29 --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Sayaka Murata is one of Japan's most exciting contemporary writers. She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which was the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman, her English-language debut and winner of one of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, the Akutagawa Prize. Her work has appeared in Freeman's, Granta, and elsewhere.
--This text refers to the mp3_cd edition.Product details
- ASIN : B07FCNMW2N
- Publisher : Granta Books (5 July 2018)
- Language : English
- File size : 214 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 89 pages
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Best Sellers Rank:
#6,527 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #39 in Travel & Tourism (Kindle Store)
- #105 in Travel & Tourism (Books)
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Top reviews from India
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Reviewed in India on 14 September 2019
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22 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 22 October 2020
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I am finding it really hard to put into words my reaction to this book. It started off well. I liked the imagery of convenience store the author created. I do like convenience stores and find them calming. Keiko didn't fit anywhere in her life but found her dream job as a convenience store woman. The book focuses on how Keiko is different and doesn't have the same dreams as people around her. It's looks for a while that the author wants to create a character who is her own person and doesn't care about expectations that her family and friends have. But Keiko clearly has some form of disorder although not explicitly mentioned in the book. She copies people, has thoughts of harming people, lives in an bug infested apartment (but makes sure the store is clean) and doesn't even enjoy food and eats only to be able to work! And suddenly this book is not about feminism or non conformity in a traditional Japanese society. It's confusing and disturbing. I also found it weird that none of her family or friends decided that she needs to see a doctor. The author has a good writing style and the book could have been better. But the book was definitely not funny for me. And I just couldn't see what message the author wants to put across.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 9 January 2019
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I read a lot of Japanese crime fiction. I thought I’d take a chance at non-crime, ordinary fiction. The reviews were great for this book. The “convenience store” clerk and her protagonists, go on about society’s expectations, normalcy, conformity and so on. But it comes across as cliched, even inane, the irony childish.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 28 November 2018
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What is normal? The convenience store woman tries hard to fit in - but her brain works differently from the rest.
As Keiko navigates this mystifying world trying her best to fit in, she learns that there is no such thing as normal. Join her on this odyssey to her soul, and you might learn a thing or two about yourself as well.
As Keiko navigates this mystifying world trying her best to fit in, she learns that there is no such thing as normal. Join her on this odyssey to her soul, and you might learn a thing or two about yourself as well.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 23 May 2020
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It is like a mirror reflecting the type of atypical society we live in day in day out which shapes our mindsets. We find it easy to confirm to an socially acceptable life which is considered normal rather than defying the norms and actually living life!
Reviewed in India on 28 January 2019
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Plot is absolute nonsense, a convenience store worker who doesn't want anything but Mop the floors and arrange the shelves is all you will read in this book, better skip this one.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 25 January 2019
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I found the book quite weird, though it was very humorous at parts. Found it difficult to relate to
Reviewed in India on 1 March 2020
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A new experience for me. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Just Julia
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 December 2018Verified Purchase
Our heroine, Keiko, is a first person character who describes her world from an autistic perspective. She studies her colleages, family and friends in order to create a facsimile of "normality" that they will find acceptable. Her family desperately want her to be "fixed" but she is perfectly happy as she is and does not know what it is they think needs fixing; no-one can explain it to her. She has found the perfect place for her working in a convenience store, yet her family and friends are all desperate for her to conform to the Japanese norms - every woman must get married or have a "proper" career. I enjoyed Keiko's struggles with her society's expectations, and the social pressures placed on single women. The writing is very stripped back and deceptively simple as it critiques the world through Keiko's eyes without seeming to condemn. Ultimately this is a delightful celebration of the need to be yourself rather than allow yourself to be ruled by others' expectations and inflexibilities.
27 people found this helpful
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FromMarge
3.0 out of 5 stars
lighter than expected
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2019Verified Purchase
This is billed as being 'dark' and 'haunting', but having read this book I can't work out why. It is a brief exploration of Japanese cultural expectations and the experience of somebody who sits outside of these. Keiko takes pleasure in her symbiotic relationship with the shop in which she works, and this was surprisingly enjoyable to read about - the different products and the fluctuations in their sales. This was the more gentle side to the book, and paints Keiko as a simple but thorough person. Then the reader realises she is very isolated and lost in a world of mimicry and confusion. There is an odd paradox where she seems to be impervious to the opinions of others, but is also a slave to trying to fit in. However, I also found her co-workers rather strange, especially their reactions to Keiko and they way they treat her, whilst she is clearly excluded from their social lives, their reactions when she hands in her notice are bizarre.
My favourite observation of the book is that people love to make up their own narratives of other peoples' lives, and often don't even realise they are doing it.
The book, like the protagonist, is simple and unusual, and draws on the pleasures of minutiae without being overly dull.
My favourite observation of the book is that people love to make up their own narratives of other peoples' lives, and often don't even realise they are doing it.
The book, like the protagonist, is simple and unusual, and draws on the pleasures of minutiae without being overly dull.
19 people found this helpful
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Theresa D
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not particularly funny, not a brilliant story, slightly disappointed.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2018Verified Purchase
This being a short novel I thought I would have finished it quickly, however I've had to really force myself to finish it. I liked the message, at least the message that I got from it, which is basically to do what makes you happy inspite of society's expectations, however the story could have been better. I really didn't take to any of the characters, it's usually quite easy to form a picture of characters in a novel and they become quite familiar, however they were all pretty unlikeable. On the front cover there's a review saying 'Haunting, dark, and often hilarious...' I didn't find myself laughing much at all. I think that I had very different expectations going into this and wonder if it would be more enjoyable in Japanese. I did actually like the ending, but for me most of the book plodded and I don't feel like it was worth the time.
22 people found this helpful
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Blimey O'Reilly
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bit like reading an indie film
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2018Verified Purchase
I should think that most reviewers have used the word 'quirky' somewhere and - to be honest - it's hard to resist.
The translation has been well done and the tone of the writing retains echoes the unselfconscious narrator. A straightforward plot which won't confuse or bewilder, meaning that the reader can just enjoy the ride and the gradual character revelation.
It's pretty short, so would make a good book on your commute, weekend away, or just a lazy armchair read on a rainy day.
If you like indie movies, you'll probably like this.
The translation has been well done and the tone of the writing retains echoes the unselfconscious narrator. A straightforward plot which won't confuse or bewilder, meaning that the reader can just enjoy the ride and the gradual character revelation.
It's pretty short, so would make a good book on your commute, weekend away, or just a lazy armchair read on a rainy day.
If you like indie movies, you'll probably like this.
19 people found this helpful
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S Riaz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Convenience Store Woman
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2019Verified Purchase
This is a strange, quirky novel which, although short in length, offers lots to think about. Our central character is Keiko, who has always felt as though she didn’t belong. Her behaviour, even as a young girl, was odd and her parents tried to get her to fit in. However, she finds life difficult and usually copies those around her – taking social cues to help her fit in.
She has worked at a local convenience store for eighteen years. This job started while she was a student, but, at thirty six, she has not moved on and, although perfectly happy in her work, it is obvious that she is not fulfilling the role that society has set out for her. She is not married, feels no warmth towards babies, and is content to remain single.
This is an interesting look at what happens when people do not fit into the roles expected to them and how they are viewed. As someone who worked for a Japanese company for a number of years, I could see how Keiko would have been under immense pressure to conform. It was also a interesting look at the humble convenience store – not viewed by most of us, I am sure, as a thing of great beauty, but, in Keiko’s eyes, raised above the humble station it normally inhabits in our thoughts. A really unusual book, which I am pleased that I read.
She has worked at a local convenience store for eighteen years. This job started while she was a student, but, at thirty six, she has not moved on and, although perfectly happy in her work, it is obvious that she is not fulfilling the role that society has set out for her. She is not married, feels no warmth towards babies, and is content to remain single.
This is an interesting look at what happens when people do not fit into the roles expected to them and how they are viewed. As someone who worked for a Japanese company for a number of years, I could see how Keiko would have been under immense pressure to conform. It was also a interesting look at the humble convenience store – not viewed by most of us, I am sure, as a thing of great beauty, but, in Keiko’s eyes, raised above the humble station it normally inhabits in our thoughts. A really unusual book, which I am pleased that I read.
10 people found this helpful
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