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  • Convenience Store Woman

  • By: Sayaka Murata
  • Narrated by: Nancy Wu
  • Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (642 ratings)
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Convenience Store Woman cover art

Convenience Store Woman

By: Sayaka Murata
Narrated by: Nancy Wu
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Summary

Meet Keiko. Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years. Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store.

©2020 Sayaka Murata (P)2019 Sayaka Murata

Critic reviews

Witty, wily, and astonishingly sharp.

-- Lisa McInerney, author of "The Glorious Heresies"

An exhilaratingly weird and funny Japanese novel. Unsettling and totally unpredictable.

-- Sally Rooney

A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman.

-- Elif Batuman, author of "The Idiot"

[A] short, deadpan gem... This is a true original.

-- Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail 

A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky [and] profound.

-- Irish Times 

What listeners say about Convenience Store Woman

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating book

This is a fascinating book. It's never explicitly stated that Keiko, the protagonist, is neurodivergent, but the story follows her attempts to act 'normal' and her family's worries that she'll never be 'cured'. She's judged for not having a 'proper job', for 'only' being a convenience store worker, for being 'weird', for being single. It's a really interesting exploration of society's obsession with conformity and status.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • AM
  • 28-10-21

Perfect

Funny and sad, strange and mad. Everything about this is perfect - anyone would wish they'd written it.

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I don't get it, sorry.

Maybe women's brains are built to enjoy books like this and men are hunter gatherers but I've clearly missed something. Not the first time and wont be the last. Narrator was great.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It Is The Convenience Store!

Keiko is 36 years old. She seems immature when compared to a Western woman.
She's not had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for half of her life.
Her friends and family have expectations of how she should live her life.
She is expected to have a good husband and/or job.
She finally enters in to a relationship of convenience with the most unlikely man.
Humour lies quietly beneath the story.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Charming

what a wonderfully charming read! much recommended! it's a quirky little book and really encourages the reader to question why they follow certain societal blueprints. also it asks the reader to examine how we treat those who do not follow this blueprint. great book!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

captivating and unusual!

I enjoyed the references to calm Japanese convenience stores in this book! The main character stands out as well written and researched. Some parts are hard to read, listening to the verbal abuse the character is subjected to. very raw and real! A really clever critical view of Japanese societal expectations.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Short and quirky

I enjoyed it as it reminded me of our honeymoon in Japan where we spent lots of time in convenience stores looking at the exotic treats on offer and also just the general experience of life in Japan (the formality of the workers everywhere etc) - besides that it gave a possible insight into one autistic woman's thought process and experience of the world. Quite interesting.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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well written

very interesting exploration of the inner world of a neurodivergent person and their daily struggles in conrforming to society's rules

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

such a wonderful story

the narrator was incredible at bringing to life the simple brilliance of the text. a fantastic audio read.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

interesting ideas about nonconformity

Interesting ideas about nonconformity, but still a little uneventful. A quick listen, that is read very well

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1 person found this helpful