Convenience Store Woman

Murata here makes her English-language debut with this 2016 winner of Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize. It offers a spare recounting of the life of 36-year-old Keiko Furukawa, a single woman who has worked part-time in a convenience store for exactly half her life. Perceived since childhood as not being "normal" by those around her, Keiko describes how her work at the Smile Mart convenience store brings her a sense of rebirth, allowing her to connect minimally with coworkers and even Miho, a friend with whom she became reacquainted after attending an alumni reunion. Daily life is comfortable and routine for Keiko until she encounters Shiraha, a former Smile Mart employee who was let go owing to his own peculiar behavior. Murata's writing, nicely rendered by Takemori's translation, uses the characters of Keiko and Shiraha to deliver a thought-provoking commentary on the meaning of conforming to the expectations of society.