A review by cuteling
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was the 3rd, of the only 3 (the other two being Life Ceremony and Earthlings) Sayaka Muratas books translated to english, that i've read.
The book highlights how suffocating it is to live in current society and how nothing you ever do will be good enough. Given the fact that the main character Keiko, despite it never being explicitly said, is most likely autistic or on some kind of spectrum, gives us a unique point of view while reading about her day to day effort to fit into society and never stand out.
The characters in this story are not exactly likeable, but i think that thanks to this it's easier for the reader to sympathize with both Keiko but also other characters in the story.
My favorite part of the book was the ending!
Unfortunately I was a little disappointed at how mild the story and characters were compared to the other two books I read prior to this one, however I still enjoyed both the story and the characters. Reading it, especially the ending, still gave me a sense of satisfaction.
Overall I recommend this book just would suggest reading it second with the order being
Life Ceremony (it gives you the best idea of what kind of a writer Sayaka Murata is, in my opinion)
-> Convenience Store Woman (shorter, milder compared to the other two, cleanses your pallet)
-> Earthlings (the most disturbing and strange of the three, HUGE TW for: pedophilia, incest, cannibalism, rape, domestic abuse, murder).
I rate the book 3.75/5 ★, though if it weren't for the ending it might have been lower. It really put a cherry on top.
The book highlights how suffocating it is to live in current society and how nothing you ever do will be good enough. Given the fact that the main character Keiko, despite it never being explicitly said, is most likely autistic or on some kind of spectrum, gives us a unique point of view while reading about her day to day effort to fit into society and never stand out.
The characters in this story are not exactly likeable, but i think that thanks to this it's easier for the reader to sympathize with both Keiko but also other characters in the story.
My favorite part of the book was the ending!
Unfortunately I was a little disappointed at how mild the story and characters were compared to the other two books I read prior to this one, however I still enjoyed both the story and the characters. Reading it, especially the ending, still gave me a sense of satisfaction.
Overall I recommend this book just would suggest reading it second with the order being
Life Ceremony (it gives you the best idea of what kind of a writer Sayaka Murata is, in my opinion)
-> Convenience Store Woman (shorter, milder compared to the other two, cleanses your pallet)
-> Earthlings (the most disturbing and strange of the three, HUGE TW for: pedophilia, incest, cannibalism, rape, domestic abuse, murder).
I rate the book 3.75/5 ★, though if it weren't for the ending it might have been lower. It really put a cherry on top.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Minor: Animal death and Stalking