A review by bethsreading
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I sadly was disappointed by this book. I enjoyed the first half, Murata has a really interesting writing style and did a great job of capturing a unique woman and her outlook on society. I would not say it is a stretch to describe the main character as autistic and I think she was presented with a lot of depth and empathy. Murata broaches big topics such a societal pressure, asexuality, and otherness well in such a short number of pages. My main issue with this book appears in the second half when the character of Shiraha appears. He is so utterly unbearable to listen to, spouting opinions that would feel very at home in an incel manifesto. While the novel does not paint him in a good light, it also tries too hard to sympathise with him in my opinion. We feel sympathy towards the main character because she does not fit societal expectations and experiences the harsh consequences of this. However, I felt it tried to do the same for Shiraha, and it is incredibly difficult to feel sympathy for anyone who views women as objects to be leeched off of. I wasn’t sure how to feel after finishing the book and I find myself in the same situation a couple of days later, but I know it did not sit well with me. There was enough goodness that I would read more from Murata, but sadly this one in particular was not for me.
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