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A review by crybabybea
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
She is me, I am her. I love her.
I might be crazy but this didn't feel cozy in the same way as other people are explaining it? I found it funny and lighthearted of course, but also I found it blanketed with a sense of anxiety in some scenes. I know the feeling so well of being interrogated for not conforming, of not fitting in no matter how hard you try, and doing okay by following scripts and examples but falling apart when social situations get too complicated or things don't follow the pattern you're used to. I mean like my heart was POUNDING when Keiko was at a party with her friends and the husbands started subtly making fun of her but disguising it in lighthearted jokes and care for her, and Keiko's feeling that she was somehow doing something wrong but couldn't quite make sense of what was happening. I know that feeling so well it almost made me nauseated.
That being said, this book is a great subversive commentary on what it means to be a human. I loved the portrayal of Keiko and found her so relatable. Her inner monologue is spot on, and the way she structures her life around the convenience store is so accurate. And of course she meets the stereotypical autistic incel man that tries to convince her to conform. It's a canon event for autistic women I fear and every scene with him was so eye-rollingly funny. I loved the twist on a marriage of convenience and how Keiko literally categorized him in her mind as her adopted pet. Genuinely so funny.
I super liked how Keiko viewed the people around her; despite them judging her and begging her to fix herself and wishing for a cure, commenting on her uncanny-valley-esque behaviors and phrases, Keiko views them in an almost similar way. Sort of like robots that follow specific social rules and never stray from them in any way. I laughed out loud when she asked Shiraha's sister-in-law whether or not she should have kids and the sister-in-law goes on a rant full of ableism and insults and Keiko just goes "oh cool so I don't have to have kids sweet".
I just love her and the way this book ends was so satisfying.
I might be crazy but this didn't feel cozy in the same way as other people are explaining it? I found it funny and lighthearted of course, but also I found it blanketed with a sense of anxiety in some scenes. I know the feeling so well of being interrogated for not conforming, of not fitting in no matter how hard you try, and doing okay by following scripts and examples but falling apart when social situations get too complicated or things don't follow the pattern you're used to. I mean like my heart was POUNDING when Keiko was at a party with her friends and the husbands started subtly making fun of her but disguising it in lighthearted jokes and care for her, and Keiko's feeling that she was somehow doing something wrong but couldn't quite make sense of what was happening. I know that feeling so well it almost made me nauseated.
That being said, this book is a great subversive commentary on what it means to be a human. I loved the portrayal of Keiko and found her so relatable. Her inner monologue is spot on, and the way she structures her life around the convenience store is so accurate. And of course she meets the stereotypical autistic incel man that tries to convince her to conform. It's a canon event for autistic women I fear and every scene with him was so eye-rollingly funny. I loved the twist on a marriage of convenience and how Keiko literally categorized him in her mind as her adopted pet. Genuinely so funny.
I super liked how Keiko viewed the people around her; despite them judging her and begging her to fix herself and wishing for a cure, commenting on her uncanny-valley-esque behaviors and phrases, Keiko views them in an almost similar way. Sort of like robots that follow specific social rules and never stray from them in any way. I laughed out loud when she asked Shiraha's sister-in-law whether or not she should have kids and the sister-in-law goes on a rant full of ableism and insults and Keiko just goes "oh cool so I don't have to have kids sweet".
I just love her and the way this book ends was so satisfying.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism