Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC. I have listened to Modern Mrs Darcy talk about this book on her podcast and it sounded very interesting and I was not disappointed. Convenience store woman is a simple little story about Keiko Furukura a totally quirky hopelessly inept character but in a totally charming and sweet way. I don't usually read books that were originally in another language but this really worked and is a great book.

This intriguing short novel builds slowly but is worth the wait. It is the story of Keiko, the convenience store worker of the title. She is a committed employee who has done the same routine tasks for eighteen years with enthusiasm and diligence.

Keiko is aware that she does not feel as other people do. She does not understand the expectations of society but is conscientious in mimicking the people around her. wearing the right clothes, showing the right facial expressions and saying the right things.

Keiko comes under a lot of pressure to have a career or a husband or, ideally, both. She does not understand why this matters so much to other people but is careful not to criticise their expectations. Her conformity is enabled by her sister, who is aware of Keiko’s difference but eager to conceal it.

Keiko’s life changes when Shiraha begins to work at the convenience store. He too has failed to meet society’s expectations, but rather than adapting, he is angry. He sees himself as a victim and believes it is always someone else, never himself, that is to blame for his problems.

This book has such a lovely voice and a subtle, understated humour. It asks interesting questions about what it is to conform and to belong. On the one hand, Keiko’s complete acceptance of the terms of a low-paid, demanding job might feel like exploitation, but on the other she shows strength in constructing a life on her own terms.

While the pressure for a woman to marry is perhaps greater in Japan than in the West (embarrassing aunties at your sister’s wedding notwithstanding) it does raise questions about what pressures we do accept without question, and how we look at those who choose not to belong.

The people around Keiko, even those who claim to care for her, are only interested in the surface. Keiko struggles to understand the feelings of others, but they have not even tried to understand hers, assuming that her needs are the same as society’s.

Keiko is both charming and subversive. When as a child she asked why it is wrong to eat a dead bird found in the park, but alright to buy a dead bird to eat from the supermarket, she showed more logic than most adults. Many of her perceptions are quite sensible, even though she is the one who her friends believe is in need of a ‘cure’.

Convenience Store Woman is an engaging story and its simple, spare prose asks some deceptively complex questions.

This is a quirky, wonderful book that I absolutely adored. If you like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or The Rosie Project, then you should love this book about Keiko the convenience store employee, who isn’t neurotypical but has remarkable insight into how the world works. Everyone around her just wants her to be normal, which means to them either a career-oriented job or marriage, when what she wants is to fit in and be respected for how well she does her job. It’s very short and sweet and poignant, and I’m glad I read it.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for providing me with an ARC. In exchange I am offering my honest review.

This is a quirky quick read which is part delightful and part disturbing. I'm still trying to process if my discomfort was in the translation or if the author really meant to convey certain thoughts. The repeated use of the main character referring to herself as not normal, was pretty jarring. There are certainly dozens of other word choices to express one's uniqueness, awkwardness or quikiness. It really bothered me that a woman clearly written on the Autism spectrum would repeatedly be labeled not normal by friends, family and co-workers.
Keiko Furukura has lived her life seemingly apathetic to society's norms. She finds pleasure and comfort in her job as a convenience store employee where she is able to mimic the gestures of others and ridgely adhere to the employee manual. After 18 years at the same job a new co-worker enters her sphere and spins her world out of orbit. While this may have been written to appear as dark comedy, I thought it was sad and somewhat cruel. I honestly found nothing charming in those sections.
This book challenges what we{society} perceive as "normal" or acceptable and mocks the oddity of reason. While I'm glad I had an opportunity to read this book, I'm pretty ambivalent about the content.
I gave this book two stars according to GoodReads scale as two stars represent "I thought it was O.K" I am curious to read more from this author, I believe she has the capability to craft interesting stories.

Convenience Store Woman is a short, weird little story about an 18 year old girl, Keiko, who doesn't fit in. She's strange. She starts a job at a brand new convenience store....and 18 years later, she is still there.

Often using her health as an excuse as to why she is still at the same job, Keiko follows the rules of the store, careful to follow the rules, and working hard to be ordinary. She deals with pressure from her family and friends to confirm to their standards - to find a husband or a different job, but she continues to enjoy her life as it is. One day, she is tasked with helping a new employee and her life starts to slowly change....but is it for the better.

Thanks to NetGallery for a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Grove Press and Sayaka Murata for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Rating 3.5 stars.

This is a gem of a novel. It might be small in page numbers but it is big on pleasure! It is quirky and offbeat just like the main character. Her name is Keiko and she is an odd duck. She doesn’t understand the world in the same way that most people do. She has to learn how to behave by observing those in her environment and these are things that don’t come easily for her. Keiko watches videos and copies people’s facial expressions and tone of voice but doesn’t understand the feelings behind them. Her logic, however, is impeccable, if not always appropriate. When she was small, two boys were fighting in the school playground. Everyone was telling them to stop, so Keiko picked up a shovel and smashed it over the boy’s head. She thought she solved the problem and expected people would be happy but was surprised her parents were called into the school and she got into trouble. Her parents are so sad for her. They had high hopes that she would be more like her sister but as Keiko got older she never changed. In high school Keiko found a job at a convenience store. She made an excellent employee, a hard worker, alway on time, never missing a day. Here she is today, at age 36, not married, no children and still working at a job most people would have left behind years ago. Keiko is very happy with her life, but is starting to feel pressure from those around her to succumb to societal pressures and be more “normal”. Should she upend her life just to fit in. Who is to say what is the right way to live? Is there only one right way? Set in Japan, where there is a stricter code of what is acceptable in society, Keiko is faced with a real dilemma.

I really enjoyed this book and I thought it raised a lot of provocative questions. The story is told simply and doesn’t delve deep, never giving us too many answers. Rather, it allows the reader to think for themselves. It is a slice of life with some humour mixed in. I found the style of writing interesting because it reads in almost a broken English. It reminds me of the way a person who speaks Japanese might speak if English was their second language. All the characters in this story are delightful even when don’t root for them. We never learn why Keiko is different. She is never labelled with, for example, autism, which I think is awesome. She just is who she is. People exist on a spectrum with a wide range of emotions and behaviours. Who are we to interfere with anyone’s right to live the life they choose. Dropping in on Keiko’s life reminds us that everyone has their own definition of happiness and if you are brave enough you can live your best life.

A quick read, even if weird, starring a woman who seems to have difficulties empathizing with other people and thus bahaving not like she feels, but like the society expects her to. She worked for most of her adult life, twenty years or so, as a convenience store clerk, and this is somehow VERY wrong (not sure I understand exactly why, like she’s not a parasite, living off the back of someone else – I get that it is plateaued and lacking any ambition, but it’s her life and I don’t really get why others are judging her SO HARSH); also, she finds herself in a very strange kind-of-relashionship with a man so much unlike her.
I found her (diseased?) personality/character/nature quite interesting and I also thought some of her reactions highly hilarious, so the novel was a page turner, but I just couldn’t really relate to any situation or thought or – especially – with her relashionship, and it gets clearer and clearer to me that maybe I’m just not compatible with Japanese culture, or maybe Asian culture in general, as I find it hugely strange and most times uncomprehensible..

Keiko doesn't fit in. That is, she doesn't fit it anywhere except the convenience store where she's worked for 18 years. She knows that her friends, family, and coworkers all think she is strange for staying at one job for so long. The pressure to be "normal" reaches a point where Keiko invites a man to stay with her, to give the appearance that she's finally accomplishing at least one step on the way to ordinary adulthood.

The most enjoyable parts of the book are when Keiko in working in the convenience store, methodically explaining her tasks and the sights and sounds of the store. Reading those sections is calming, while reading the parts where Keiko is forced to interact with others and make her best attempt at normalcy are painful, because they're written in a way where you are nervous for Keiko to make a mistake. It's quite brilliantly done so that you can see the difference in where Keiko is comfortable versus where she is not. This book also gives a peek inside the head of someone who isn't rebelling against society, she honestly doesn't understand society.

Some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and awkward, especially when Shiraha, the man who eventually moves in with Keiko, is spouting his endless monologues. However, that could be just cultural differences in how Japanese speak. The length of this book is perfect, there's a nice tidy ending and you can read it in an afternoon.

Short quick read about a 36-year old convenience store worker in Japan. Still not quite sure what to think of this book. It reads as though the woman is autistic? I'm just not quite sure what this book was really getting at.

4.5 pleasantly surprised stars for this intriguing little book! Convenience Store Woman is not action-packed nor steeped in drama, but it is a compelling read nonetheless.

The story follows Keiko Furukura, a 36-year-old, part-time convenience store employee. The people in her life have always thought she is a little odd, and yet they are perplexed by her seeming inability to move beyond what is seen as a temporary life stage. Keiko, on the other hand, doesn't know why anyone should care that she has found contentment in the predictability of her work, and the comfort brought by the rules in the employee manual.

I'm not exactly sure how Sayaka Murata managed to write such a captivating account of what is basically the daily routine of a worker in a convenience store, but I could not put this book down! Keiko was a fascinating character, and by the time this (much too short!) story was done, I found myself rooting for her to live her life her own damn way, weirdness and all.

I'll definitely be watching for more from this author -- her talent is incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review..

What a treat. I loved this book. Very moving portrait of an odd duck – never labeled, which is refreshing – making choices to survive in this society on her own terms. I feel like it anymore detail would be spoiling, if not the outcome than at least the joy of discovery, So I was just totally recommend it to anyone who enjoys unusual depictions of female characters, and women finding the strength to live on their own terms.

Short fascinating character study of a woman who does not meet what society considers norms. Keiko is different, just different, and her life inside the convenience store makes sense to her, if not to others. You can argue about what her diagnosis might be but you'll surely find her really interesting, even if others do not. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a great opportunity to read modern Japanese literature.

"So the manual for life already existed. It was just that it was already ingrained in everyone's heads, and there wasn't any need to put it in writing."

Convenience Store Woman was a short, fast and sharp read following Keiko Furukura, a part-time convenience store worker in her mid-thirties. Furukura was always strange, even as a child she was finding herself in trouble for her bizarre and occasionally violent reactions. In college, what was supposed to be a casual job for extra cash ended up giving Furukura exactly what she needed: the tools to fit in. Through the convenience store worker's manual and the observation of the other employees Furukura became a working cog in society and can go about essentially unnoticed, which is exactly what she always wanted. The story starts 18 years after the fateful day she started work in the convenience store (and where she continues to work) and watches as she meets another societal misfit.

I thought this was a beautiful ode to anyone that feels that they don't fit in or don't quite meet the standards set for them by society. Written in the clean, stark voice of Furukura, I thought the writing style perfectly matched the narrative and Furukura herself. Although occasionally repetitive, I was fascinated by her sharp observations and her take on what it means to be human from someone that feels like an outsider to the species. I quite enjoyed this short and witty little book, while it wasn't what I expected I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The only thing I liked about this book was its cover. The story is about a convenience store worker. The plot is flat, the characters are dull and uninteresting. The point of the story is what? The woman is happy being a convenience store worker. Good for her. There is nothing redeeming about this book.

An odd little book with quite eccentric characters
Keiko is the quirky protagonist and she decides that working in a convenience store is both satisfying and provides her with a sense of belonging. She feels very "connected" to the store and its routines and mundane tasks. She doesn't mind this, she thrives and enjoys her job and is a hard worker.

Her family constantly worries that she is "not normal." Society has certain "expectations" and she has chosen not to comply. There is a deeper message about life and the assumptions that all successful people are expected to follow, but Keiko isn't listening!

This is a quiet story about acceptance and judgement. I enjoyed spending time with Keiko!

3 ½ stars

Convenience Store Woman was an odd book. Not a bad book, but definitely odd. Set in Tokyo and translated from Japanese, it features a women in her mid 30s who has been working in a convenience store for her whole adult life. Through her eyes, we understand that she is not meeting social expectations by not being married and by not having a higher status job. But it is also evident that her sense of who she is and who she wants to be does not beat to the drum of social expectations. Things are just fine for her working in the convenience store until she decides to try to conform to social norms… This book is very short, clever in the way it’s told, somewhat humorous and mildly depressing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to an advance copy.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman is about a 36-year-old woman who has worked in a convenience store for her entire adult life. Keiko is viewed as a little weird for still working a lowly, part-time job and not being married. Keiko also mirrors those around her to put on the appearance of being a functioning adult. Keiko has trouble connecting emotionally with others.

The novel has an autobiographical feel to it. I felt like I was reading about a real woman in Japan. It was a fun light read.

In a society where people conform to gender, class, personal, and professional roles, Keiko Furukura stands out for her inability to blend in. Keiko is thirty-six and has been working part-time in a convenience store for eighteen years. This brilliant short novel describes her life and her long traveled path to reach acceptance in a role as a valued employee, working hard to perform at the level of excellence. Keiko trained herself to speak loudly and cheerfully to each customer and give them what they need with a smile, in the exact manner in which she received her training so long ago. She re-stocks the store perfectly and new every minute detail about the running of the business. It is her pride and joy.

As a child. Keiko did not fit in, starting in elementary school, with acting in a somewhat aggressive way when she saw something done against another child. Some people might suggest that Keiko is on the autistic spectrum, but that is not a part of the story. Keiko doesn't get better as she grows up, she rarely socializes and depends on her younger sister to help her with social cues. When she is in college and finds a part-time job in the store, Keiko seems to have found her niche.

Keiko has seen workers come and go and even managers who leave after a relatively short time. She knows that certain new employees probably won't make it and most often, she is correct. Her work peers realize she is different but depend on her and respect her knowledge of the job. I enjoyed learning about all the various snacks served in the store and was so happy that Keiko's path led her to the exact place she needed to inhabit.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Convenience Store Woman is a character-driven novel. Our protagonist is Keiko Furukura who's a bit different - very likely she's on the Autism spectrum - and is unable to read society's cues, unless somebody spells them out to her clearly. She doesn't have any hobbies; worst of all - she's got no expectations or dreams for herself. She's a thirty six-year-old virgin who's been a convenience store worker for eighteen years. She breathes the shop. Her life, her routines revolve around her work schedule. She's very competent, but that's about it. She's like a robot.

I found this novel sad, there were no endearing quirks or funny moments. Occasionally, Keiko came up with some smart observations about society, other people's expectations, people's inability to fully embrace those outside the norm.

While I can't say I was bored reading this, after all, it's quite short, I'm afraid I wasn't charmed either. I thought the novel's tone was kind of flat, which in a way worked to show us Keiko's automaton, routine-filled life.

I must admit I would have never targeted this book to read had someone on Goodreads not recommended it. It kind of flies under the radar by its unassuming cover, but is actually quite thought-provoking.

This is a story about a young Japanese woman named Keiko who has been working part-time at a 24-hour convenience store since the age of 18. She is now 36. Her parents, friends, and society itself has regarded Keiko as "not normal" due to the fact that she is still a virgin, unmarried and never dated, and for working part-time hours at this convenience store rather than transitioning to a more suitable/ better job. In fact, whenever anyone questions her as to why she's still working at this convenience store job, she uses a helpful retort that her sister came up with: "It's just because I'm not very strong, so I'm better off in a casual job."

The family suspects something is wrong with Keiko for some other reasons as well. As a young child in school, Keiko witnessed some unruly children fighting at recess and the teacher called out, "Somebody stop them!" Acting quickly, Keiko retrieved a spade from a nearby shed and bashed one of the surly boys over the head with it. It seems as though Keiko sees things in black and white terms, and when she heard the teacher cry out for help, Keiko acted accordingly. Of course, a parent/teacher meeting was called to address this infraction and seeing her Mom's serious demeanor, Keiko realized she must have done something wrong. However, she still couldn't understand why. Keiko soon realized that the less she said, the better.

Another example of Keiko's odd thought pattern was how she related to her sister's baby. Upon visiting the sister one day, she looked upon the baby and thought of it as being sort of an animal. She also thought about her other little nephew, and how it really didn't matter which baby she visited...they were kind of the same animal. Then when the baby cried and her sister made an effort to console her, she thought about what a big hassle it must be to do that. Her eyes then stole over to the little knife on the table that had just been used to serve cake, and thought how easy it would be to use it to shut the baby up. Of course, Keiko knew to keep thoughts such as these to herself.

Keiko finds her best self in the tightly controlled environment of the convenience store. It has a manual covering everything the employees must do, and she follows it to the letter involving dress, greeting customers and many other protocols. She follows these to the letter and receives good feedback for doing so. In addition, she draws upon the personalities of those she works with to form her own personality. In this way, she will garner more acceptance in the world. For instance, when she admires another female worker's way of talking and dressing, she copies the speech pattern and purchases clothing from the same fashion stores. Keiko had her own very small apartment, although it had roaches and was old. She would take dented cans of food home from the convenience store, but would be sure to eat other healthy foods like vegetables and rice, plus get enough sleep. She knew she had to follow these rules in order to stay healthy and serve the well-being of the convenience store.

Needless to say, this was a very interesting character study. It was told in simple language, translated beautifully from its original Japanese. It was a quick and satisfying read which I would highly recommend.