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ISBN: 9780802165800

Content: "Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers' style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society's expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko's contented stasis—,ut will it be for the better?Sayaka Murata brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the familiar convenience store that is so much part of life in Japan. With some laugh-out-loud moments prompted by the disconnect between Keiko's thoughts and those of the people around her, she provides a sharp look at Japanese society and the pressure to conform, as well as penetrating insights into the female mind. Convenience Store Woman is a fresh, charming portrait of an unforgettable heroine that recalls Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, and Amélie ."

Content: Rezension(1): "〈a href=http://www.kirkusreviews.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png alt=Kirkus border=0 /〉〈/a〉: April 1, 2018 A sly take on modern work culture and social conformism, told through one woman's 18-year tenure as a convenience store employee.Keiko Furukura, a 36-year-old resident of Tokyo, is so finely attuned to the daily rhythms of Hiiromachi Station Smile Mart--where she's worked since age 18--that she's nearly become one with the store. From the nails she fastidiously trims to better work the cash register to her zeal in greeting customers with store manual-approved phrases to her preternatural awareness of its subtle signals--the clink of jangling coins, the rattle of a plastic water bottle--the store has both formed her and provided a purpose. And for someone who's never fully grasped the rules governing social interactions, she finds a ready-made set of behaviors and speech patterns by copying her fellow employees. But when her younger sister has a baby, questions surrounding her atypical lifestyle intensify. Why hasn't she married and had children or pursued a more high-flying career? Keiko recognizes society expects her to choose one or the other, though she's not quite sure why. When Shiraha--a dead-ender in his mid-30s who decries the rigid gender rules structuring society--begins working at the store, Keiko must decide how much she's willing to give up to please others and adhere to entrenched expectations. Murata provides deceptively sharp commentary on the narrow social slots people--particularly women--are expected to occupy and how those who deviate can inspire bafflement, fear, or anger in others. Indeed, it's often more interesting to observe surrounding characters' reactions to Keiko than her own, sometimes leaving the protagonist as a kind of prop. Still, Murata skillfully navigates the line between the book's wry and weighty concerns and ensures readers will never conceive of the pristine aquarium of a convenience store in quite the same way.A unique and unexpectedly revealing English language debut. COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. " Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://www.publishersweekly.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png alt=Publisher's Weekly border=0 /〉〈/a〉: Starred review from April 9, 2018 Murata’s slim and stunning Akutagawa Prize–winning novel follows 36-year-old Keiko Furukura, who has been working at the same convenience store for the last 18 years, outlasting eight managers and countless customers and coworkers. Keiko, who has a history of strange impulses—wanting to grill and eat a dead bird, pulling down a hysterical teacher’s pants to get her to be quiet—applied to work at the Hiiromachi Station Smile Mart on a whim. Where someone else might find the expected behavior for convenience store workers arbitrary and strict, Keiko thrives under such clear direction, finally finding a way to be normal. In fact, she thinks of herself as two Keikos: her real self, who has existed since she was born, and “convenience-store-worker-me.” But normalcy is not static, as Keiko discovers. The older she gets, and the further she drifts from milestones like having a “real” job, marrying, and having children, the more her friends and family push her towards change. She strikes a sham marriage deal with a lazy and shifty ex-coworker, which, though it finally makes her “normal” in the eyes of others, throws her entire life and psyche into turmoil. Murata’s smart and sly novel, her English-language debut, is a critique of the expectations and restrictions placed on single women in their 30s. This is a moving, funny, and unsettling story about how to be a “functioning adult” in today’s world. Agent: Kohei Hattori, the English Agency. " Rezension(3): "〈a href=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/ target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png alt=Library Journal border=0 /〉〈/a〉: April 15, 2018 Murata here makes her English-language debut with this 2016 winner of Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize. It offers a spare recounting of the life of 36-year-old Keiko Furukawa, a single woman who has worked part-time in a convenience store for exactly half her life. Perceived since childhood as not being normal by those around her, Keiko describes how her work at the Smile Mart convenience store brings her a sense of rebirth, allowing her to connect minimally with coworkers and even Miho, a friend with whom she became reacquainted after attending an alumni reunion. Daily life is comfortable and routine for Keiko until she encounters Shiraha, a former Smile Mart employee who was let go owing to his own peculiar behavior. Murata's writing, nicely rendered by Takemori's translation, uses the characters of Keiko and Shiraha to deliver a thought-provoking commentary on the meaning of conforming to the expectations of society. VERDICT While Murata's novel focuses on life in Japanese culture, her storytelling will resonate with all people and experiences. A solid selection for most fiction audiences and fodder for book group discussions. --Shirley Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CACopyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. "

Language: English

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