bookishhoard reviewed Convenience store woman by 村田沙耶香
Unputdownable
5 stars
I loved this book so much!
Published Nov. 26, 2018 by Edizioni e/o.
La ragazza del convenience store
by 村田沙耶香
4 stars
(5 reviews)
Keiko sbaglia. O almeno questo è quello che le dicono tutti. È sempre stata considerata una ragazza strana, sia a scuola che in famiglia. Il suo modo di guardare il mondo in maniera logica, senza ipocrisie o compromessi, crea forte imbarazzo in chi la circonda. In una società formale e conformista come quella giapponese sembra una vera e propria aliena. Ma Keiko non è una ribelle, e non trova altra soluzione se non un progressivo allontanamento da tutto e tutti. Qualcosa inizia a cambiare a diciotto anni, quando risponde all’annuncio di un supermercato che cerca commesse part-time. Potrebbe essere una svolta, un modo per cominciare a integrarsi nella realtà che la circonda, ma diciotto anni dopo è ancora lì, etichettata come “quella strana”, mentre si trascina stancamente un giorno dopo l’altro. Fino a quando incontra Shiraha, presto licenziato dal supermarket per i suoi comportamenti inopportuni. Per aiutarlo Keiko gli propone …
Keiko sbaglia. O almeno questo è quello che le dicono tutti. È sempre stata considerata una ragazza strana, sia a scuola che in famiglia. Il suo modo di guardare il mondo in maniera logica, senza ipocrisie o compromessi, crea forte imbarazzo in chi la circonda. In una società formale e conformista come quella giapponese sembra una vera e propria aliena. Ma Keiko non è una ribelle, e non trova altra soluzione se non un progressivo allontanamento da tutto e tutti. Qualcosa inizia a cambiare a diciotto anni, quando risponde all’annuncio di un supermercato che cerca commesse part-time. Potrebbe essere una svolta, un modo per cominciare a integrarsi nella realtà che la circonda, ma diciotto anni dopo è ancora lì, etichettata come “quella strana”, mentre si trascina stancamente un giorno dopo l’altro. Fino a quando incontra Shiraha, presto licenziato dal supermarket per i suoi comportamenti inopportuni. Per aiutarlo Keiko gli propone di andare a vivere insieme, così da mantenere una facciata di rispettabilità nei confronti degli altri. Ma quella che poteva essere un’improbabile storia d’amore diventa invece uno scavo sempre più profondo nella mediocrità di un’esistenza come tante. Fino a quando Keiko non raggiunge una sorprendente illuminazione e abbraccia finalmente il suo vero io. La ragazza del convenience store è un romanzo raffinato e commovente sulle pressioni sociali e la difficoltà di trovare il proprio posto nel mondo.
Naomi reviewed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
None
3 stars
A quirky and interesting (and speedy) read.
aurrai reviewed Convenience Store Woman by 村田沙耶香
None
A sample of the text:
One Sunday, a month after I’d called her, my sister turned up to lecture Shiraha.
She is generally a sweet, gentle person, but she was extremely tense as she demanded to come in. “I have to say something. It’s for your own good, Keiko,” she said.
I told Shiraha he could wait outside, but he merely said, “It’s okay. I don’t mind,” apparently resolved to stay in the apartment. This was surprising, given how much he hated being raked over the coals.
“My husband is looking after Yutaro. As well he should, from time to time,” she said as she came in the door.
“I see. It’s a bit cramped in here, but make yourself at home.”
It was the first time in ages I’d seen her without her son, and she looked as though she’d somehow mislaid something.
“You didn’t have to come all …
A sample of the text:
One Sunday, a month after I’d called her, my sister turned up to lecture Shiraha.
She is generally a sweet, gentle person, but she was extremely tense as she demanded to come in. “I have to say something. It’s for your own good, Keiko,” she said.
I told Shiraha he could wait outside, but he merely said, “It’s okay. I don’t mind,” apparently resolved to stay in the apartment. This was surprising, given how much he hated being raked over the coals.
“My husband is looking after Yutaro. As well he should, from time to time,” she said as she came in the door.
“I see. It’s a bit cramped in here, but make yourself at home.”
It was the first time in ages I’d seen her without her son, and she looked as though she’d somehow mislaid something.
“You didn’t have to come all the way over here. If you’d called me, I’d have gone to your apartment as usual.”
“It’s okay. Today I wanted to take my time talking to you. I’m not disturbing you, am I?” She glanced around the room. “Oh, but what about the guy living with you? Is he out today? I hope I didn’t scare him off.”
“What? No, he’s here.”
“Oh! But where is he? I must say hello!” she said, jumping up.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s really no need. Oh, but it’s about feeding time anyway.” I took some boiled potatoes and cabbage from the cooking pan and put them along with some rice into a washbasin I kept in the kitchen and took it to the bathroom.
Shiraha was sitting on cushions he’d stuffed into the bathtub and fiddling with his smartphone. I held his feed out for him, and he took it.
“The bathroom? Is he in the bath?”
“Yes, it’s really cramped when we’re together in the room, so I’m keeping him in there.” My sister looked incredulous, so I explained further. “I mean, this apartment is really old, isn’t it? Shiraha says that taking a coin-pay shower is better than getting into such an old bath. He gives me small change to cover the cost of my shower and his feed. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s convenient having him here. Everyone’s really happy for me. They’re all congratulating me. They’ve all convinced themselves my new situation is great, and they’ve stopped poking their nose into my business. So he’s useful.”
She looked down. Maybe this time she finally got it, now that I’d explained it carefully to her.
“Oh, by the way, I bought some custard puddings that were past their sell date. Do you want one?”
“I never imagined it was anything like this,” she said, her voice trembling.
Surprised, I looked at her and saw she appeared to be crying.
“What’s wrong? Oh, I’ll go get some tissues!” I said immediately, using Sugawara’s speech style. Then I stood up.
“Will you ever be cured, Keiko ...?” She looked down, not even bothering to remonstrate with me. “I simply can’t take it anymore. How can we make you normal? How much longer must I put up with this?”
“What? You’ve been putting up with me? If that’s the case, you needn’t have gone to all the trouble of coming to see me, surely?” I told her honestly.
She stood up, tears pouring down her face. “Keiko, won’t you come to see a counselor with me? Please? Let’s get you help. It’s the only way.”
“I went to see one when I was little, but it didn’t do any good, did it? And I don’t even know what it is I need to be cured of.”
“Ever since you started working at the convenience store, you’ve gotten weirder and weirder. The way you talk, the way you yell out at home as if you were still in the store, and even your facial expressions are weird. I’m begging you. Please try to be normal!” She began crying even harder.
“So, will I be cured if I leave the convenience store? Or am I better staying working there? And should I kick Shiraha out? Or am I better with him here? Look, I’ll do whatever you say. I don’t mind either way, so please just instruct me in specic terms.”
“I don’t know anymore ...”
She kept crying uncontrollably without responding to my request. Lost for something to do I took a custard pudding out of the refrigerator and ate it as I watched her sitting there sobbing.
Just then there was the sound of the bathroom door opening. I turned in surprise and saw Shiraha standing there.
“I’m so sorry. To tell you the truth, your sister and I just had a ght. I made a real embarrassing spectacle of myself, didn’t I? You must be really shocked.”
I stared openmouthed at him. It wasn’t at all like him to be such a smooth talker.
“The fact is that I’d connected with my ex-girlfriend on Facebook and we went out drinking together. Keiko was furious when she found out. She refused to let me sleep with her and shut me in the bathroom.”
My sister stared at him for a while as if mulling over the meaning of what he was saying. Then she clutched hold of him and stood up, her face the picture of a believer who had just come across the priest in church.
“So that’s what happened ... I see, so that’s it!”
“And when I heard you were on your way up to the apartment, I thought I’d better keep out of the way. I didn’t want to be lectured to.”
“Yes ... absolutely! When I heard from my sister that you’re just loafing around without a job, I was worried that she was being duped by some weirdo ... but now I hear you’re unfaithful too! That’s really inexcusable!”
She looked as happy as happy can be as she started laying into him.
So that was it: now that she thinks he’s “one of us” she can lecture him. She’s far happier thinking her sister is normal, even if she has a lot of problems, than she is having an abnormal sister for whom everything is fine. For her, normality—however messy—is far more comprehensible.
Mat reviewed Convenience Store Woman by 村田沙耶香
Review of 'Convenience Store Woman' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The comical and deadpan delivery of this store hooked me in as did the social commentary
EnQueued reviewed Convenience Store Woman by 村田沙耶香
Review of 'Convenience Store Woman' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Amusing and intriguing look at an alternative thought process.