Convenience Store Woman
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...