Convenience Store Woman

“The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of."

Yesterday I sat down to read this novella and finished it in a sitting, and by the end of it I was utterly awe-struck by the writer's sheer ability to immerse us in the struggles of our protagonist in a mere eighty pages. It delineates the problems a woman on the autism spectrum faces, and includes very witty and valuable social commentary on the societal expectations of both men and women, and although the novel is set in Japan, its pragmatic insights on society are universally applicable.

This hilarious and vivid novella features our thirty-six year old female protagonist Keiko Furukura, who is unmarried, single and works part-time at a convenience store. To her, life revolves around her work at the convenience store, and in her own words, her very cells exist for the convenience store. Whilst the rest of her friends and family have progressed in their careers and personal lives, Keiko remains aloof and uninterested in 'settling down' and continues to be immersed in her work at the convenience store. However, she still has a fervent desire to fit in and be seen as 'normal', and her unusual actions and way of seeing the world make for such a compelling and riveting perspective on life, and as she is depicted to be a neurodivergent character, we also see how the convenience store in an odd way, is her lifeline, and has moulded her to become a more socially 'acceptable' member of society.

The writing in Convenience Store Woman is so very poignant and sharp, it being rife with hilarity but also maintaining the undertones of a pensive sadness that is embroiled in the novella. The author also masterfully weaves in vividly descriptive images of the convenience store that Keiko works at, from the ring of the door chime to the shuffle of items onto a conveyer belt, our main character's world that she cherishes so dearly is artfully depicted.

Whilst the novella begins and shows Keiko doing her utmost to conform to society's ideal expectations, even going so far as to resign from her job at the store and pretending to have a romantic partner, it ends with her relinquishing all desire to fit in, and her character intrepidly departs from society's expectations and goes back to where her heart truly belonged all along: her work at the convenience store.

Cover photo art by: Me Kyeoung Lee