Convenience Store Woman.
Convenience
Store Woman by Japanese author Sayaka Murata, despite being a slim novella of
under 200 pages, is not a ‘light’ read.
“Society expects you to fit into a certain mould for it to accept you. What if you refuse to fit into that mould and are
happy in your own little space?”
Keiko Furukawa
is a 36-year-old woman who has been working at Smilemart, a convenience store
in Tokyo, for 18 years.
Society
wonders at her ‘single’ status and her lack of ambition for better prospects. Keiko
couldn’t care less. She knows what she wants. She temporarily gives into the
pressure and ultimately does as she pleases.
Her
literal-minded brain doesn’t grasp emotions. While family and friends grieve
the death of a bird, little Keiko feels no sadness and prefers to eat it.
The convenience
store is Keiko’s world. She thrives on the routine and stability that she finds
in the Convenience store.
Adopting a
deadpan style of writing, Murata describes Keiko as a cog in the wheel of
society who must clean, stock the shelves, and bid customers a good morning. Keiko
breathes, eats, and sleeps the convenience store. Murata describes her as a
woman who doesn’t know how to be a normal person beyond the dos and don’ts of the
convenience store manual.
Keiko doesn’t
conform to the rules laid down by society and is pushed by the same to get a ‘real
job’ and to get married. Keiko gets into a relationship with Shiraha, a
despicable man and an outcast.
Their relationship
is built not on love but on a mutual need to hide from a society hell-bent on ‘fixing’
them.
Murata thus
exposes a society that refuses to ‘live and let live’ and would rather see a
woman suffer in a toxic relationship, rather than be single, happy, and content in
a low-paying job.
The Convenience Store Woman is a short,
brilliant, and quirky read. Without being preachy, it tells the tale of a woman who
refuses to ‘fit into the box’ created by society and lives life as she
pleases.
If you're fond of Japanese literature, like short reads, quirky protagonists, and are not a fan of societal norms, then you should read the book.
I was happy that Keiko did not succumb to societal pressure. Societal pressure can drive women insane. Kieko knew what she wanted and stood her ground.
Have you ever chosen a path that people didn't understand? How did it feel?
