The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Suzy
Keiko is a young Japanese convenience store woman who enjoys the repetitive nature of her job, often referring to the store manual to act and respond to requests appropriately. Her simplistic life is ridiculed by friends and family for whom marriage is the true measure of success. Keiko attempts to counter these putdowns in an unusual manner in order to find acceptance. A commentary on Japanese societal expectations of women.
I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality— all simply store workers.
● It feels a bit twee to describe a novel as delightful, but that feels like the most apt word for Convenience Store Woman. However, a lot of the humour in the novel was tinged with feelings of discomfort and wanting to look away as we gradually learned about the effort required by Keiko to exist in the world and be accepted by her family and peers. Sayaka Murata cleverly reflects significant issues in Japan within the character of Keiko, and due to the novel’s incredible success has hopefully taken a step towards normalising the less acceptable parts of the culture there.– Suzy
● As a fan of Japanese literature I was hooked on this book from the first page. It is told simply but with passion and a dry humour. I came to love the convenience store too and was astounded how interesting I found details of shelves being stocked in the correct way. The underlying premise of being accepted for being ‘normal’ but unhappy over being ‘abnormal’ but happy was thought-provoking and made me consider many aspects of society. I read this short, punchy book in one sitting and absolutely loved it. – Rachel
● I felt a sense of injustice at the way Keiko was treated by her friends and family. They were pedantic about their opinions that she should be married and have a better job than working in a convenience store, even if it made her unhappy. This is a sad reflection on Japanese culture, and we discovered the author actually endured the same criticisms from her family for her job as a convenience store worker. It was an unusual and well told story which I enjoyed. I was heavily invested in Keiko, her convenience store job and the decisions she was making for her own happiness. – Jo
Published in Japanese 2016
Translated into English by Ginny Tapley Takemori 2018
Portobello Books
163 pages
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I agree with Rachel that this was a “short, punchy book.” It was minimalist, in a sense, and yet told lots about Japanese culture. Certainly a memorable read!
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