Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Witty and sweet, this 2016 novel won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize and was named by many a Best Book of the year.

Keiko has always felt like an oddball, her parents at a loss what to do with her, so unlike her 'normal' sister. She soon learned to mimic what others were doing or simply follow directions to fit in and not be rejected as a foreign object. If you wear the skin of what is considered an ordinary person, you won't get driven out of the village.

At 18, she was reborn at the Smile Mart, donning the costume and transforming into the homogeneous being known as the convenience store worker. She became a different creature, a normal cog in society. The rhythms of the customers, the sounds of the electronic greetings, the trends of sales - tightly run by a manual, the 'konbini' is a living being. Eating all her meals from the store and wearing the staff uniform gave her a sense of solidarity. She pulled off being a 'person'.

At thirty-six, her job is seen by others as a dead end, and a woman's real value is in marriage and children. She has no desire to experience romance or sex. Pressure from old friends leads her to let a male co-worker move into her apartment. Maybe they can pretend. Suddenly she is seen as a female of the species instead of a store worker. Shiraha is a slacker, but she doesn't want to risk awkward questions, so she keeps and feeds him, like a pet. It looks better to society, but her heart is at Smile Mart. There she is more than a person; she is a convenience store worker.

Keiko is a misfit in the best possible way, lovable and charming. Full of social commentary, it is never stated but seems Keiko is on the autism spectrum. Aware her behavior can be distressing to others, she finds a place to thrive within the strange rituals of society.

Sayaka Murata was inspired by working three days a week in a 'konbini'.

This is the first of her ten novels to be translated into English.

2106 / Tradeback / 176 pages