a part of me that often observes the peculiar transmission of other people’s ways of speaking and mannerisms onto my behaviour felt very at home in this book. also made me nostalgic for the times of working in customer service, when you know the workplace in and out, being hyper-tuned-in to subtle changes and proceeding with your job so smoothly, you’re practically ice-skating, with a parcel in one hand, a batch of keys in another, and a request for extra pillows with the room number on repeat in your head. 

a lovely short book about finding joy in predictability and stability in spite of societal expectations for a “normal” successful life. 

Keiko Fukuroku, our protagonist, shares her fondness for the convenience store where she has worked for half her life, 18 years. the store is like a living creature that Fukuroku knows very closely. but to other people, and society in general, she is strange for not having secured a “normal” job that’s appropriate for her age, nor has she got a husband (oh gosh!). and, to everyone’s bafflement, she is not planning to. 

Fukuroku is likely on autistic spectrum: she shares her experiences of taking things too literally, tracing back to her childhood; her “masking” by mirroring the prosody of people around her; and her preference for repetitiveness and predictability of her job at the convenience store. however, there is no explicit mention of neurodiversity in the book, only her family’s concerns over “normality” (e.g., her sister gets so frustrated, she says they have to go to counselling). these concerns stem from complete lack of understanding and, hence, acceptance of the way in which Fukuroku finds joy and happiness in her life, that is, the way that is a stark mismatch with the majority. the story plays around with the idea of conformity: in some ways, Fukuroku’s conformity at work is comforting, in other ways - the required conformity towards life milestones and ideas of success. 

i loved the details that our character observes in other people’s speech, how people contain little bits of those who are closest to them, and the tenderness with which she tends to the convenience store.  

***

this was a wonderful encounter with another Japanese author. i look forward to reading Sayaka Murata’s upcoming book (vanishing world) and see how she tackles the topics of sex, procreation, and another take on the strangeness of society.