Sayaka Murata

La dependienta

Bárbara

solo odie al tipo muerto de hambre q decía de la era de piedra 

♥︎

コンビニ人間 [Konbini ningen]

Emma Nash

what i really want is a full-on marxist-feminist reading of this book, but i'm 👏 too 👏 lazy 👏 and 👏 frankly 👏 not 👏 smart 👏 enough 👏 to 👏 write 👏 one 👏 myself 👏 

this was sold to me as a sweet hymn to non-conformity, but it's actually something sadder and more ambivalent (imho). the main character, keiko, chooses non-conformity in the form of her job at the convenience store. in choosing a part-time job, she can't help but set herself apart from other people, who would rather she pursue marriage or a career. but the convenience store is also the only thing that allows keiko to think of herself as a useful part (or machine component, 部品) of the world. the convenience store provides socially clueless keiko with instructions for behaving as a proper shop attendant. there, she doesn't have to her worry about her persistent inability to conform to social norms; by yielding herself entirely to the needs of the store—and to the persona of the good shop attendant—she finds a new sense of belonging and purpose.

keiko thus stays true to herself by choosing the job that allows her to most comfortably imitate other people. if one enjoys working in retail and has no interest in romance, i see nothing wrong with that, but i can't help but want more authentic forms of human connection for keiko, who relishes the most alienating (alienated?) qualities of her labor as precisely those that give meaning to her existence. maybe i'm just imposing my own morality on her, i don't know. anyways, i think this contradiction—between the way in which keiko comes into conflict with social norms and the way in which she remains, in fact, so deeply compliant with capitalism—is part of the point, and the book wouldn't be as good or as interesting if it weren't capable of producing this kind of unease. our options are so few!

Hur mår fröken Furukura?

Boken var bra- jag läste den på en dag - men jag brukar föredra en mer tydlig handling. Den hade en handling, men det var liksom inget speciellt som hände.

Men på en lite mer positiv sida, jag tyckte jättemycket om huvudpersonen Keiko Furukura. Även om hon är lite annourlunda än andra så gör hon det som hon själv vill. Det var en gång där hon gjorde som någon annan ville, men sedan ändrade hon sig och fortsatte göra det som hon brann för.

4/5. Jag skulle föredra en lite mer specifik handling, annars var boken jättecharmig och hade en trevlig atmosfär.

Жената конбини

Ivayla Stefanova

Определено не знаех какво ме очаква, когато започнах този проникновен роман. Саяка Мурата е подплътила тези 160 страници с неудобни истини и безброй въпроси. Успяла е да създаде творба, която може да бъде прочетена по много различни начини.

За мен историята беше както феминистка, така и проза за индивидуализма и човешкото призвание. Защото е все по-трудно човек да се впише в нормите. И точно това успява да покаже "Жената конбини" - една млада жена, намерила мястото си в обществото, която обаче не може да избяга от обществените предразсъдъци. През цялото време Кейко е нещастна, защото другите се притесняват за нея, а не защото е "принудена" да работи в конбини. Дори напротив, тя обича своето еднообразно и методично ежедневие.
Този простичък на пръв поглед роман е пропит с изключително много послания - от мястото на жените в съвременното японско общество до желанието на човек едновременно да остане верен на себе си и да бъде приет от другите.

La dependienta

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