Comrade Kay reviewed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Review of 'Convenience Store Woman' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
So weirdly good! I enjoyed it very much.
176 pages
English language
Published Nov. 24, 2019
4 stars
(13 reviews)
Convenience Store Woman (Japanese: コンビニ人間, Hepburn: Konbini Ningen) is a 2016 novel by Japanese author Sayaka Murata. It captures the atmosphere of the familiar convenience store that is so much part of life in Japan. The novel won the Akutagawa Prize in 2016. Aside from writing, Murata worked at a convenience store three times a week, basing her novel on her experiences. It was first published in the June 2016 issue of Bungakukai and later as a book in July 2016 by Bungeishunjū. The novel has sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan and is the first of Murata's novels to be translated into English. The translation, by Ginny Tapley Takemori, was released by Grove Press (US) and Portobello Books (UK) in 2018. The book has further been translated into more than thirty languages.
debby_joyblue reviewed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Review of 'Convenience store woman' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
So many factors make this one difficult to assess/rate. It's translated from a language and culture about which I know essentially nothing. I believe I understand the point the author is making. What I don't understand is how it's being received by so many reviewers. I don't see this as a fun, quirky read—Keiko is mightily abused and oppressed. While there is some dark humor (one of my faves), overwhelmingly, the book is bleak. [3-]
Review of 'Convenience store woman' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
So many factors make this one difficult to assess/rate. It's translated from a language and culture about which I know essentially nothing. I believe I understand the point the author is making. What I don't understand is how it's being received by so many reviewers. I don't see this as a fun, quirky read—Keiko is mightily abused and oppressed. While there is some dark humor (one of my faves), overwhelmingly, the book is bleak. [3-]
