Sayaka Murata is a Japanese writer who started working at a convenience store in college. She kept the job after graduating because she found that it not only paid the bills, but it worked well with her writing schedule. She still works at the same convenience store despite becoming an intenationally respected, best-selling author.
I get it. Writers need something to keep them on schedule. I’ve often said that successful freelancers need either dogs or children to add structure to their days. Becoming a respected, best-selling author doesn’t do away with the need for structure.
Convenience Store Woman is Murata’s first novel to be published outside of Japan. The main character works at a convenience store and has no ambition beyond that, to the great embarassment of her family and confusion of her co-workers.
Convenience stores in Japan are much nicer than the standard US 7-Eleven or murder mart. They are operated by large chains and feature a wide array of groceries, household items, and prepared foods in a compact space. In cities where square footage is scarce, they serve as important neighborhood amenities. (And, fun fact for anyone who grew up in Ohio before the 1980s: the Lawson’s Dairy Store of Big O Orange Juice fame lives on in Japan, which I found to be one of the most discombobulating things about visiting Tokyo and Kyoto. Lawson’s in Japan does not sell chip dip, either.)
Keiko, the heroine of Convenience Store Woman, loves her job. She is serious about representing the company and serving customers. She believes in the convenience store. There’s a certain Zen aspect here, to doing a simple job well, but there’s also a lot of unhappiness and confusion in Keiko’s life.
This is a short book. I recommend it.
