La ragazza del convenience store

by Sayaka Murata

Published Nov. 18, 2018 by Edizioni e/o.

ISBN:: 978-88-3357-002-0

(5 reviews)

Keiko sbaglia. O almeno questo è quello che le dicono tutti. È sempre stata considerata una ragazza strana, sia a scuola che in famiglia. Il suo modo di guardare il mondo in maniera logica, senza ipocrisie o compromessi, crea forte imbarazzo in chi la circonda. In una società formale e conformista come quella giapponese sembra una vera e propria aliena. Ma Keiko non è una ribelle, e non trova altra soluzione se non un progressivo allontanamento da tutto e tutti. Qualcosa inizia a cambiare a diciotto anni, quando risponde all’annuncio di un supermercato che cerca commesse part-time. Potrebbe essere una svolta, un modo per cominciare a integrarsi nella realtà che la circonda, ma diciotto anni dopo è ancora lì, etichettata come “quella strana”, mentre si trascina stancamente un giorno dopo l’altro. Fino a quando incontra Shiraha, presto licenziato dal supermarket per i suoi comportamenti inopportuni. Per aiutarlo Keiko gli propone di andare a vivere insieme, così da mantenere una facciata di rispettabilità nei confronti degli altri. Ma quella che poteva essere un’improbabile storia d’amore diventa invece uno scavo sempre più profondo nella mediocrità di un’esistenza come tante. Fino a quando Keiko non raggiunge una sorprendente illuminazione e abbraccia finalmente il suo vero io. La ragazza del convenience store è un romanzo raffinato e commovente sulle pressioni sociali e la difficoltà di trovare il proprio posto nel mondo.

5 editions

dwhatson reviewed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Making The Mundane Interesting

No rating

This is one of the most delightful and quirky books I've read in some time. The protagonist of the novel, Keiko, is neurodivergent, 36 years old, has never had a physical relationship with anyone, has been working at the same convenience store since she was 18 and has a sister who hopes that one day Keiko will be 'cured'. Her relationship with the convenience store is everything. It regulates her sleeping patterns, the food she eats and her personal appearance. It even provides her with a script on interacting with the customers.

However, working in a convenience store is not seen as a real job and besides, at her age, Keiko should be considering marriage and children. These things mean nothing to Keiko. Instead, she spends her days copying mannerisms, expressions and dress styles from her coworkers to build a repertoire of social normality so that her circle of friends …

Convenience Store Woman is told through Kekio's eyes and so we see the world as she sees it, in all its confusing glory. The writing style is, like Keiko herself, honest and to the point. I read this book as a humorous commentary, if not satire, regarding Japanese working culture. On another level, it serves as a general critique of Japanese society and those, particularly women, through no fault of their own are doomed never to fit in. For someone like Keiko, not fitting in could be perceived as real freedom. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who like a bit of quirk with their fiction.

Yubin reviewed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

This book got me into reading!

5 stars

It is a really unusual tale of a middle-aged part time worker completely satisfied with her life being confronted with different expectations of the people around her. This books highlights how people completely comfortable with their life get looked down upon by people viewing them as a 'failure'. I thought it gave a great reason to show how a good life not adhearing to the societal expectations can turn terrible by adhearing to them. It is partly cold partly funny and I loved every word from it.

However it might be a bit different from other books. Due to its' short length I still recommend this book to anyone interested in societal topics and simple living.