Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata
A book review
Keiko Furukura, the protagonist of this novel, is probably autistic. From an early age, she shows an unusual emotional detachment from her peers and elders which, on a couple of occasions, lands her into trouble at school. She soon realizes that she is different and “odd”. Over the years, Keiko learns to behave as is expected of her by copying others, chameleon-like. Her life-changing moment is when she lands a part-time job at a newly-opened convenience store while a student at college. The rigid rules of the store, set out in a manual for employees, suit her fine, and serve to give her existence a purpose and well-defined rhythm.
Eighteen years later, when we meet her in the novel’s present, Keiko is still employed at the same convenience store, where she has honed her skills to perfection. But now, society’s expectations catch up with her. She is past her mid-thirties, and friends and family pressure her into finding a partner and moving on to (what they consider) a more rewarding job. Enter Shiraha, a creepy, lazy and unlikeable man, who has nothing to commend him, except that he might turn out to be a convenient front for Keiko to come across as “normal”.
Convenience Store Woman is not Sayaka Murata’s debut novel, but it was her
first to be translated into English (by Ginny Tapley Takemori). A bestseller in Japan at over 1.5 million
copies, it also propelled her onto the international literary scene with editions
in 30 different languages.
This year saw the publication of Murata’s Earthlings, also translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, which I review elsewhere on this blog. Indeed, I wonder if my reaction to both novels would have been different (and, possibly, more favourable) if I had read them in the order in which they were published. Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings could be described as “companion pieces”, since they share the same themes and concerns, and even certain plot details. However, whereas Convenience Store Woman comes across as offbeat and whimsical, Earthlings is darker, angrier and more intent on shocking its readers.
Of the two novels, I prefer Convenience
Store Woman. Its image of an individual
who does not fit into a rigid society is conveyed with an engaging mix of pathos
and deadpan humour. It is bizarre in
places, but without the excesses of Earthlings. And at novella length, it never outstays its
welcome. I was also intrigued by the
sense of irony which lies at the heart of the novel. In her
own way, Keiko is a rebel. But even in
her “rebellion” – sticking to her job as a convenience store woman – she submits
to a rigid set of rules. Seen in this way, is Convenience Store Woman a
paean to “being different” or is it, more ominously, a bleak vision of a world
where we cannot escape rules and regulations?
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