A quirky, quick read, Convenience Store Woman is the first-person story of a neurodivergent Japanese woman who feels like a normal human being only at the convenience store where she has worked half of her 36 years. Keiko has no meaningful life outside SmileMart; she even regulates what she eats and when she goes to sleep to stay fit for the job. But she is content until relatives and coworkers imply that she should be chasing either a real career or marriage and motherhood. Keiko must choose between pleasing others and self-determination.
Author Sayaka Murata is commenting on the intense pressure in Japan to conform to expectations, but citizens of other countries will relate. Convenience Store Woman was the first book of the lauded Japanese author to be translated into English.
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