
Convenience Store Woman (Paperback)
Sayaka Murata (author), Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator)Published: 02/05/2019

A quirky, wryly humorous slice of Japanese fiction that smuggles a scalpel sharp dissection of gender politics and social expectations in amongst the deadpan lines and off-beat dialogue. Keiko finds her new job stacking shelves both rewarding and enjoyable, but her friends and family soon begin exerting pressure to force her down a very different path.
Keiko has never really fitted in. At school and university people find her odd and her family worries she'll never be normal. To appease them, Keiko takes a job at a newly opened convenience store. Here, she finds peace and purpose in the simple, daily tasks and routine interactions.
She is, she comes to understand, happiest as a convenience store worker. But in Keiko's social circle it just won't do for an unmarried woman to spend all her time stacking shelves and re-ordering green tea. As pressure mounts on Keiko to find either a new job, or worse, a husband, she is forced to take desperate action...
A best-seller in Japan, and the winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, Convenience Store Woman marks the English-language debut of a writer who has been hailed as the most exciting voice of her generation.
Cover design may vary. Convenience Store Woman comes in three different colours.
Publisher: Granta Books
ISBN: 9781846276842
Number of pages: 176
Weight: 130 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 10 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Murata's gloriously nutty deadpan prose and even more nuttily likable narrator are irresistible.' - The Observer
'A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman' - Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot
'A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky [and] profound' - Irish Times
'A new book from an incredible woman... from this dark and delightful [novel] springs a feminist rallying cry: trust yourself' - Emerald Street
'An offbeat, tongue-in-cheek read... a tale of finding one's own path to happiness' - Skinny
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“I absolutely loved it”
Keiko Furukura does not require much outside of the rhythms and structures of working part-time in a convenience store, but her few social acquaintances say that she needs to fix the way she lives her life. This smart... More
“Darkyly funny and eccentric!”
I just read Convenience Store Woman in one sitting... and it’s amazing.
Sayaka Murata has raised the bar when it comes to Japanese fiction.
A deadpan, comedic story about a woman who lives for her part-time job at a...
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“A REFRESHING READ”
What a refreshing novel!!
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