@book {murata_convenience_2018, title = {Convenience Store Woman}, year = {2018}, publisher = {Grove Press}, organization = {Grove Press}, edition = {First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition}, address = {New York}, abstract = { View eBook @ Harvard Library [HarvardKey required] "Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers{\textquoteright} style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society{\textquoteright}s expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko{\textquoteright}s contented stasis--but will it be for the better? Sayaka Murata brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the familiar convenience store that is so much part of life in Japan. With some laugh-out-loud moments prompted by the disconnect between Keiko{\textquoteright}s thoughts and those of the people around her, she provides a sharp look at Japanese society and the pressure to conform, as well as penetrating insights into the female mind. Convenience Store Woman is a fresh, charming portrait of an unforgettable heroine that recalls Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, and AmeĢlie ." -- (Source of summary not specified). }, keywords = {Fiction, Japan, Man-woman relationships, Social life and customs}, isbn = {978-0-8021-2825-6}, url = {http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/99153687581603941/catalog}, author = {Murata, Sayaka and Takemori, Ginny Tapley} }