Sayaka Murata

Meet Keiko. Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years. Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store... *Convenience Store Woman comes in three different colours; the colour you receive will be chosen at random*

Convenience Store Woman

lily

"No. It's not a matter of whether they permit it or not. It's what I am. For the human me, it probably is convenient to have you around, Shiraha, to keep my family and friends off my back. But the animal me, the convenience store worker, has absolutely no use for you whatsoever."

The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of.

So that's why I need to be cured. Unless I'm cured, normal people will expurgate me.

Finally I understood why my family had tried so hard to fix me.

Men go hunting and women keep the home and gather fruit and wild herbs while they wait for the men to come back. This type of work is more suited to the way women's brains are set up."

"Shiraha, we're in the twenty-first century! Here in the convenience store we're not men and women.

I'd never experienced sex, and I'd never even had any particular awareness of my own sexuality. I was indifferent to the whole thing and had never really given it any thought. And here was everyone taking it for granted that I must be miserable when I wasn't. Even if I had been, though, it didn't follow that my anguish would be the obvious type of anguish they were all talking about. But they didn't want to think it through that far. I had the feeling I was being told they wanted to settle the matter this way because that was the easiest option for them.

It was fun to see all kinds of people-from university students and guys who played in bands to job-hoppers, housewives, and kids studying for their high school diploma at night school-don the same uniform and transform into the homogenous being known as a convenience store worker.

My parents were at a loss what to do about me, but they were as affectionate to me as ever. I'd never meant to make them sad or have to keep apologizing for things I did, so I decided to keep my mouth shut as best I could outside home. I would no longer do anything of my own accord, and would either just mimic what everyone else was doing, or simply follow instructions.

Everyone was crying for the poor dead bird as they went around murdering flowers, plucking their stalks, exclaiming, "What lovely flowers! Little Mr. Budgie will definitely be pleased." They looked so bizarre I thought they must all be out of their minds.

"Poor little bird. It's so sad, isn't it Keiko?" my mother kept murmuring, as if trying to convince me.

Convenience Store Woman - Gadis Minimarket

aku suka bagaimana keiko mengalami hari-hari secara apa adanya. namun ia juga menyadari bahwa setiap hari memiliki denyut yang berbeda. 

Danny

Pelan-pelan kumasukkan telur ke kantong plastik. Benda yang sama seperti yang kujual kemarin, tapi telur yang berbeda. Pelanggan juga memasukkan sumpit yang sama ke kantong plastik yang sama seperti kemarin, mengambil kembalian vang sama dan memberikan senyum pagi yang sama.

Margaret Carey

Karola

alexia

I'd noticed soon after starting the job that whenever I got angry at the same things as everyone else, they all seemed happy. If I went along with the manager when he was annoyed or joined in the general irritation at someone skiving off the night shift, there was a strange sense of solidarity as everyone seemed pleased that I was angry too.

Now, too, I felt reassured by the expression on Mrs. Izumi and Sugawara's faces: Good, I pulled off being a "person".

You eliminate the parts of your life that others find strange—maybe that's what everyone means when they say they want to "cure" me.

It is the start of another day, the time when the world wakes up and the cogs of society begin to move. I am one of those cogs, going round and round. I have become a functioning part of the world, rotating in the time of day called morning.

In other words, you play the part of the fictitious creature called 'an ordinary person' that everyone has  in them.

Brandon Liew

"Keiko has never really fitted in. At school and university people find her odd and her family worries she'll never be normal. To appease them, Keiko takes a job at a newly opened convenience store. Here, she finds peace and purpose in the simple, daily tasks and routine interactions. She is, she comes to understand, happiest as a convenience store worker. But in Keiko's social circle it just won't do for an unmarried woman to spend all her time stacking shelves and re-ordering green tea. As pressure mounts on Keiko to find either a new job, or worse, a husband, she is forced to take desperate action..."--Provided by publisher.

Sanne

I was taking on the form of a person that their brains all imagined as normal. Being congratulated by them felt strange, but I merely said, "Thank you."

"Furukura, you're lucky, you know. Thanks to me, you can go from being triply handicapped as a single, virgin convenience store worker to being a married member of society. Everyone will assume you're a sexually active, respectable human being. That's the image of you that pleases them most. Isn't it wonderful?"

So that was it: now that she thinks he's "one of us' she can lecture him. She's far happier thinking her sister is normal, even if she has a lot of problems, than she is having an abnormal sister for whom everything is fine. For her, normality—however messy—is far more comprehensible.

Everyone seemed happier than when I'd told then I’d never been in love, and they were carrying on as if they knew everything about my situation. The previous me—who'd never fallen in love or had sex, who'd never had a proper job—had sometimes been hard to read. But everything about the new me—the one who had Shiraha living with her—was clear, even my future.

“[…]. Society has reached the stage in which not being of any use to the village means being condemned just for existing.”

“then I wouldn't have had to go to such lengths to find out how to be normal.”

She was getting carried away with making up a story for herself. She might just as well have been saying I was "cured." If it had been that simple all along, I thought, I wish she'd given me clear instructions before, then I wouldn't have had to go to such lengths to find out how to be normal.

Seeing how excited she was, it occurred to me that it wasn't such a stretch to say that contemporary society was still stuck in the Stone Age after all. So the manual for life already existed. It was just that it was already ingrained in everyone's heads, and there wasn't any need to put it in writing. The specific form of what is considered an "ordinary person" had been there all along, unchanged since prehistoric times I finally realized.

"If you ask me, this is a dysfunctional society. And since it's defective, I'm treated unfairly."

I thought he was probably right about that, and I couldn't even imagine what a perfectly functioning society would be like. I was beginning to lose track of what "society' actually was. I even had a feeling it was all an illusion.

I enjoyed exploring the experiences of Keiko, the main character, who seems to embody neurodivergent traits as she faces societal criticism for not meeting conventional expectations. She finds comfort in her routine at the convenience store, despite pressure from others to marry and have children like “normal” people. In contrast, Shiraha, while not entirely wrong in his anger toward societal norms, adopts a bitter and toxic perspective, which I found frustrating and misogynistic. 

Overall, it was an engaging, easy read, though it felt repetitive at times.

I enjoyed exploring the experiences of Keiko, the main character, who seems to embody neurodivergent traits as she faces societal criticism for not meeting conventional expectations. She finds comfort in her routine at the convenience store, despite pressure from others to marry and have children like “normal” people. In contrast, Shiraha, while not entirely wrong in his anger toward societal norms, adopts a bitter and toxic perspective, which I found frustrating and misogynistic. 

Overall, it was an engaging, easy read, though it felt repetitive at times.

jian

modern take on kafka’s the metamorphosis 

sofia mae

A story of an alien who tries to understand all intricacies of human society. Light, relatable, concise, it doesn't give you any answers on how to live but rather allows you to explore the definitions and applications of modern world rules and customs, allows you to question them along with Keiko who just wants to always be surrounded by the certainty and stability of a convenience store. 

I like Korean and Japanese modern prose for simplicity and minimalism of thought and story telling, but as I finish such books I'm always left with this feeling of incompleteness as if the author forgot to write the last chapter or there was a certain limit to the size of the book. Still looking forward to finding more interesting Japanese literature to stop coming back to Murakami all the time. 

llikaditoo 

A story of an alien who tries to understand all intricacies of human society. Light, relatable, concise, it doesn't give you any answers on how to live but rather allows you to explore the definitions and applications of modern world rules and customs, allows you to question them along with Keiko who just wants to always be surrounded by the certainty and stability of a convenience store. 

I like Korean and Japanese modern prose for simplicity and minimalism of thought and story telling, but as I finish such books I'm always left with this feeling of incompleteness as if the author forgot to write the last chapter or there was a certain limit to the size of the book. Still looking forward to finding more interesting Japanese literature to stop coming back to Murakami all the time. 

Keiko isn't normal. At school and university people find her odd, and her family worries she will never fit in. To make them happy, she takes a job at a convenience store. But in Keiko's circle it just won't do for an unmarried woman to spend her time stacking shelves and ordering green tea. As the pressure to find a new job - or worse, a husband - increases, Keiko is forced to take desperate action...

Everyone deserves to be recognized and understood. Keiko was a refreshing narrator. Being content is not equal to being unhappy

Jordan

"love for the young-girl is just autism for two"

eris

Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers' style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society's expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko's contented stasis--but will it be for the better?

Madii

3.5/5. It it was longer, I think I would hate it very much because of Shiraha. Ugh, that guy.

Maureen

"The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of."

A peculiar story. I've never heard of anything like it. The premise is simple and the language is easy to read, so it was easy to flip through. Keiko is a funny protagonist with a strange devotion to her beloved convenience store.

merliah

Something about this book is just strangely charming. I love the main character and her way of thinking, and her experiences - being alienated because society doesn’t deem you useful simply because you’re not following the ‘normal’ way of life - is something I’ve always been scared of. When I read the ending though, I realized that it doesn’t matter what society thinks. If your passion lies somewhere else entirely then that’s none of their business. If you find your place in something society deems too different or useless or unfulfilling then the only thing that matters is that you yourself feel like it’s where you belong. The story is written so well, very relaxed and genuinely sweet. I really liked it.

Anna 

3,5

if you ever find yourself not being sure whether you're on the spectrum AND if you feel extremely depressed about the way society pushes you to have a good and interesting job and a husband because if you don't you're basically a loser, read this.

Alec Joven

Nice to read the first of “what it means to be a normal in Japanese society”. I loved her she cranked to 11 in Earthlings.

Nate

Sohini Roy

I really liked this book. It's short and an easy read, but also gets across several messages about society and being a functioning "cog" of society that we often don't stop to think about because it's ingrained in our everyday nature. The way everyone has a specific set of expectations about their role in society, and if they are not able to live up to them, they are isolated and cast away. As odd (and kind of scary) as Keiko is, I appreciated the bluntness and unfazed behavior of her character and her ability to not bat an eye at society's expectations. This book teaches you that it's okay to fit in wherever you fit in, regardless of where it is on a social ladder.

Louisa

I liked the first few chapters but towards the end i just couldn’t understand why one would do such thing with a complete stranger that could only take without giving back.

This was a very quick read (you could finish it in one sitting). It has a very peculiar style, it felt like a slice of life anime with not much plot but then I started to realize it was a lot more nuanced than I had initially expected. It told a very simple story of the power of choice and how autonomy (or lack thereof) wrestles with society’s expectations. I saw a lot of reviews that were frustrated with the way this novel was described as “funny” and I agree, I actually found it more devastating than anything. It was a bleak reminder that societal standards change at breakneck speed and oftentimes neurodivergent people are siloed outside of these societal norms. 

Rana Sulieman

 lita

was just a little boring to me and felt like a chore to get through but somewhat enjoyed the read bc of the perspective it was written in

saturn

Tsamarah

No plot but great narrative, a light and enjoyable read.

Anjorin Molayo 

3.75 ⭐️

this book captures the depth of passion in something as simple as a convenience store. it captures the nuances of day to day ongoings in a store. 

it is a strong book that highlights the importance of letting people do whatever they want/what they love best. it highlights the useless nature of people wanting to judging you for what you are/or your passion. 

it is also a quirky and fun read.

Kinda hard to say actually and that one character is annoying tbh. WELL this book kind of full of metaphor in their characters dialogues. It's confusing but interesting also simply because it offers you a different perspective than most "normal" people where in some part you could relate to the situation.

Elio

Ditipriya Acharya

My present self is formed almost completely of the people around me.

Reading Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori) reminded me of all the times that I whispered ‘Fake it till you make it’ to myself in situations where I felt that I did not fit in and the manner in which I sometimes mimic those around me and express only those opinions that I know will be accepted, in order to feel included. The novel talks about society’s compulsion for everyone to fit into the roles created for them. The main character of the novel, Keiko Furukura, is a convenience store worker. That is her only identity as far as she is concerned. She is an awkward woman who does not understand the norms of society and nor does she understand the expectations that society has from a middle-aged woman. She imitates those around her not for herself but for the sake of the people she interacts with. Only in the convenience store does she feel like she is in control of herself and goes as far as to live her life outside also as a part of the store.

Even though the Convenience Store Woman is set in Japan, the novel explores universal themes and the translation is nuanced, bringing to life the ‘assembly line’ atmosphere of the convenience store and the confusion that goes through Keiko when faced with ordinary experiences. The novel questions the concept of normalcy. “But once they get it into their heads that I’m not normal, since they all think they are normal they’ll give me a hard time about it, won’t they?” Keiko asks her sister, who attempts to help her fit in with the people around her by creating lies to make up for Keiko’s ‘strange’ behaviour. But even that doesn’t last for long. Everyone, from her parents to those who she calls her friends, assumes that Keiko needs to ‘change’ herself or ‘be cured’ and that the way she behaves is something she has control over. Through this expectation, which baffles Keiko, Murata highlights the things that society asks of us at every stage of our life and in many ways she mocks it.

You eliminate the parts of your life that others find strange- maybe that’s what everyone means when they say they want to cure me.

As a character, Keiko, with her innocence and wide-eyed manner of looking at the world, is almost like a child. (I won’t attempt to diagnose her because the book doesn’t do so.) The convenience store she works in has a manual that tells them how they must talk, interact with the customers, behave and what they must do at every hour of the day. She is like a cog in a machine, doing the same thing over and over, both in the convenience store and out of it. This monotony brings her comfort and she does not require a better job or a marriage, like those around her want for her. But in some deep part of herself, Keiko craves the same inclusion she receives in the convenience store even from the others in her life. When she realises that she won’t be accepted as she is, she looks for a manual to understand life. She asks her sister to give her specific instructions as to what she must do in order to be considered ‘cured’. But at the end of the day, she is a convenience store worker. 

More than a person, I’m a convenience store worker. Even if it means that I’m abnormal and can’t make a living and drop down dead, I can’t escape the fact. My very cells exist for the convenience store.

Murata talks about the convenience store like it is a character in the book, bringing to life its sights, sounds and smells. Somehow this is the character that Keiko feels comfortable interacting with. As all the customers congratulate Keiko on the fact that the store remains unchanged, she finds comfort in the one constant thing in her life, the sounds of the store, that follow her home and even in her sleep. When the entry of Shiraha, a part-time worker at the store, both into her place of work and her life, shakes up the orderly manner in which the other workers at her store function, she doesn’t know how to cope with it. She realises that suddenly she is just a ‘female member of the human species’ even to her co-workers like she is to others in her life. The inclusion of Shiraha in her life also forces her to realise that as long as she fits into the role assigned to her in society, it doesn’t matter if she is happy or not, she is accepted. Murata has given us a character that along with being absolutely unique questions the things society takes for granted. The novel both made me laugh and sigh as I went on this journey with the convenience store woman. My only complaint about the book would be that while the ‘Stone Age’ analogy was funny at first, it felt repetitive when used over and over. Beyond that, the book was an extremely enjoyable and quick read.

Convenience Store Woman

Reviews

Highlights