‘Convenience Store Woman’ is the book I am reading for December/January with my book club (Feminist Fiction Berlin, Chapter 10). It is a very short read, and I could finish it in entirety within one sitting spanning approximately 3 hours. 

The book is largely character-driven, based on the life and thoughts of Keiko Furukura, who has felt herself to be different from everyone since her childhood. As the book mentions specific incidents as she grows up, this is clearly not only an internal feeling or a difference in interests, she does appear to think differently, and at times, her thoughts can be construed as dangerous. She finds routine and a sense of place as a worker in a convenience store. She devotes her life and time to her employment and continues to work in the same store in the same position for 18 years, after starting to work there as a college student. Due to her interactions with friends, family members and co-workers, she starts to realise that everyone is interested in “treating her” and “making her normal” - and while she does not seem to see this as a personal requirement, there is a part of her that is keen to fit in as well, to stop feeling out of place. This book is an exploration of how she chose to navigate this, the decisions she made in light of this context, and where it leads her in the end. 

I found the book to be a generally lighthearted read, but I am not fond of most of the characters, which also made it a difficult read at times. I love the orientation of the plot around the convenience store. It definitely reminded me of the best of the series ‘Superstore’ and convenience stores are also one of my cherished places to visit and be, so I appreciate the setting even more so. The interaction between the primary characters was at times interesting, a little reminiscent of early moments of Sheldon and Amy from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ but only up to a certain point. My initial impression was that this would be similar to ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman but I realised quickly that this is not the case. 

While I find other moments in pop culture that I seek to resonate with this book, I would like to add that this book is based in Japan and I do not intend to compare in order to evaluate. Cultural contexts are an essential part of representative writing and comparing this book to a different context and thus evaluating it would not be completely fair. So, I try to evaluate only on the basis of my reading and the emotions and thoughts induced. 

Thank you for reading my review. 🌻