A review by salonniere_anspik
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

 So what we have here is a protagonist, Keiko, who is unable and not interested in following the standard societal rules of living a normal life, finding a good paying job, being in a relationship, eventually getting married and having kids but at the same time is perfectly content being a cog in a convenience store machine, having no interests, friends, hobbies or even personality outside of her work. She sleeps and eats just to be able to do her job satisfactorily. It was not like she had this cute little life, enjoying her simple existence. She had a disquieting, almost dystopian vibe about her. This strange juxtaposition left me a bit confused about what I'm supposed to take from this story. I know most people find the ending to be a happy one, and I feel like the author thought the same, but I found it very eerie!