A review by cassie_04
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

If you get it you get it. This is a book that tells more how it is to be autistic rather than how people want being autistic to be. Although quite extreme in its protrayal of this experience, I think the book has to be so as the properly convey the story and emotions to non autistic people. Otherwise the book would not be thought provoking enough to the average reader. I loved it, although I honestly wish Shiraha had not been so violently sexist, as it made the book a bit too uncomfortable at times, and I was in many places fearful he would assault Keiko. I feel the story would have been told better without him and a different character in his place. Perhaps an opposite kind of woman to Keiko coming to work in the store, to act as her foil and to make her question whether she was happy in her life. 

Overall, I loved it. More absurdist autistic literature please.
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