by Sayaka Murata
translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
narrated by Nancy Wu
Published: 2018
Publisher: Portobello Books
Genre: Contemporary, Japan
Paperback: 163
Rating: 5
Goodreads
First sentence(s):
A convenience store is a world of sound.
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 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—but will it be for the better?
My two-bits:
Oh, the pressures to be "normal".
I found myself chuckling at the interaction between the quirky characters.
Loved the character growth of the protagonist.
Appreciation for convenience stores. Definitely a place to visit when in Japan.
* weekly theme: Japan - conformity
* listened to the audio version
