Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata This novel was odd, but hypnotic in a way. It is my first foray into translated Japanese books. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I'm still not sure how I felt about the writing style. It wasn't bad, but it was very straightforward, simple, and almost clinical. Convenience Store Woman follows Keiko, a 36-year-old convenience store worker who, I suspect, is autistic. She is certainly unsure of how to navigate the world as a "normal" member of society. Having failed at any other employment, Keiko finds that her job at the Smile Mart suits her well. She has a manual, a uniform, and can navigate her work day via a script of stock phrases and actions that she knows are expected of her. She thrives in this environment. All of her life Keiko has struggled with understanding what people expect of her. Her solutions to problems posed in her environment are often violent, simply because they are the quickest and most effective way...