A review by monsterofidaho
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If someone says they like weird girl fiction, throw this directly at their head. On the one hand, this is one of the lowkey strangest books I've read this year -- and, b*tch, I've also read two Ottessa Moshfegh books. On the other hand, Keiko is really endearing? The neurodivergent-coding is real.

The one thing I'd say that I didn't really know how to put in the trigger warnings is that there's a lot of "fix it" language around Keiko's neurodivergence, because this woman is not neurotypical. The story ultimately overcomes it in a very organic and rewarding way, but the depths we have to go through to get there can sometimes be surprisingly intense. This book has a good sense of humor overall, but the story itself is not light-hearted. What reads as surprisingly excessive ableism from literally everyone else in the book is constant, to the point that it often threatens Keiko's internal dialogue as well and it can be upsetting at times.
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