Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Lähikaupan nainen

This was a short and weird - in a good way - little book about a woman named Keiko Furukara who spends 18 years working in a convenience store. I don't deem myself to have the authority to diagnose a character with anything, but from the text, it is pretty apparent that she is neurodivergent. She is constantly looked down on and lectured by people around her about being in her 30s and working a job they do not deem suitable, for not being married or having children. Keiko works at the convenience store because it is what makes sense to her, it seems to give her a genuine happiness and control over the chaos of life, and I enjoyed reading about her as a character. She was very interesting and honestly sweet, and I think that there are probably a lot of people who see part of themselves in this character.

My only criticism is that I wish there had been more of a plot, and that it had been a little longer. I feel like there is so much more that could've been explored with this character, but it ended prematurely. Other than that, I really liked it and I'm glad I read it.

Also this cover is really cute.

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the_reading_wren's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad

4.5

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sapphicmuscaria's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Really good and well written book, but did not have a very enjoyable time reading it in the second half due to a very unlikeable character.

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nightfell's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book just GOT me.
Even though I'm not close in age to the protagonist, I share a lot of the same experiences as her (in a different form). I admire how little she cared that the people around her were concerned because she had no husband and worked in a convenience store her whole life. If I were in her situation I would be so anxious, but I know her lack of anxiety is because she doesn't think her life is wrong or devoid of meaning, which I love about her. I liked the ending, as it enforces the idea that at the end of the day, you shouldn't care what other people have to say about the way you live your life.
Shiraha was always saying things that actually had value but he said it in the weirdest and most annoying way, and it just became funny but irritating at the same time, (but in an enjoyable way).

I loved how Keiko wasn't sure what the 'right thing' was, like in terms of how to live her life. The conflict between society's expectations of her and her desire to work in her current job was well-done and I really felt connected to the story throughout.

- the way she literally adopted him, and and when she would cook for him, said he needed his "feeding" was comical.

- Also, when she got irritated at her sister's newborn baby crying, saw a knife laying nearby, and insinuated that she wanted to kill the baby I died.

- The part where she said they should eat the dead bird in a flashback was kind of relatable to me in the weirdest way. Not the actual dead bird part, but when you're younger (at least when I was younger) and I didn't know what the right thing to say was, and always felt like what I said was weird ect.

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sourcucumbers's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

What a wonderful and insightful gem of a book. I adore books that position "weird" women as their main characters, there's just not enough written about women who are on the outskirts of what society deems as normal. Keiko's thought processes are really fun and relatable to read through and Murata's insights on how society perceives outcasts have made me laugh and feel upset. It's a really short book, so I recommend a second read-through, as each reread is an enjoyable new reflective period for me.

My one gripe is reading through Shiraha's involvement. Although it was necessary to go through this plot point, he annoyed me to no end and I couldn't stand him. This isn't the fault of the book, but I just feel like annoying characters break me out of the immersion lol

tl;dr: it's an insightful and short read on the perils of capitalism and outcasts.
recommendation: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

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