Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Døgnåpent

I really enjoyed and connected to this book. I think it was an immaculate critique of capitalistic society and how a person's value is judged by what they contribute to others and how little they shake the boat. The rage Keiko felt when she was being grilled for information about her personal life, and the way everyone so shamelessly criticised her to her face about her life choices really resonated with me and stirred up all kinds of emotions. It's always such a great feeling, reading a book and knowing the author just gets you.
I didn't find Keiko weird, I related to some of her thoughts and actions like having to copy everyone around you to fit in, although I will say I have enough empathy to not eat a random dead bird or hit a kid on the head with a spade to end a fight. Reading about her thought process immediately brought the phrase "ruthless efficiency" to my mind. She navigates the world with a different set of values, and reducing pain is just not one of them. She doesn't do it out of malice, she just doesn't get why it's a big deal. All she needs is someone to explain to her what the societal rules are so she can follow them, and that's why she thrives in a convenience store. There's a manual spelling everything out for her, and that's exactly what she wants. There's nothing wrong with her, she just needs guidance and a place to belong, where she won't be judged for what she can or can't do, or any surrounding factors like her age or the clothes she wears. I hope this book made this clear for some people. I believe this should be essential reading for anyone trying to become more open minded.
I'll definitely be checking out more of Sayaka Murata's work. I can say that as simple as this book was, it really blew me away.

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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Autistic woman likes her job; everyone hates her for it

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e_m_f_reads's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A great book! Very fast paced and incredibly well written, I read it in one sitting. An amazing observation of people and I loved the way the main character interacts with others. I despise the male character which is the point of course. A great depiction of a person’s thoughts and, if you dig deep enough, a good criticism of capitalism too! What more can you ask for?

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kathrinellis's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was a disappointing read. The story was very simple, I could not relate to the characters and strongly disliked most of them. I guess it is the author’s intention, but I was annoyed by the way Keiko let other people deal with her. The ending was okay, but kind of the way I expected it to be. Not a must-read ( at least definitely not if you’re not a store-worker yourself, in that case it might be more meaningful). There were a few good lines though.

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