Review of Sayaka Murata's 'Convenience Store Woman' in ArtReview Asia Summer 2018
ArtReview Asia's Summer 2018 issue featured a review of Sayaka Murata's English-language debut novel 'Convenience Store Woman.' The protagonist Keiko Furukura, a thirty-six-year-old woman working in a Tokyo convenience store, subverts expectations by finding contentment in her routine despite societal pressures. Unlike typical narratives of single women in their mid-thirties, Keiko's story challenges conventional happiness and critiques capitalist norms. The novel satirizes 'chick lit' genres and misogynistic societal expectations through Keiko's detached observations. Her inability to empathize, which might be seen as a developmental disorder, becomes a lens to question what is considered 'normal.' The review highlights how the book uses Keiko's perspective to explore themes of selfhood and societal conformity.
Key facts
- Sayaka Murata's English-language debut novel 'Convenience Store Woman' was reviewed in ArtReview Asia's Summer 2018 issue.
- The protagonist Keiko Furukura is a thirty-six-year-old woman working in a convenience store in Tokyo.
- Keiko finds meaning in her job's rhythms and corporate hierarchies, defying societal expectations of romantic fulfillment.
- The novel critiques 'chick lit' genres and misogynistic norms by presenting a protagonist who does not seek traditional happiness.
- Keiko's inability to empathize is portrayed as a challenge to conventional diagnoses of developmental disorders.
- The story satirizes societal obsessions with career, mortgage, marriage, and childbirth.
- ArtReview Asia published the review in its Summer 2018 issue.
- The novel explores themes of selfhood and societal conformity through Keiko's unique perspective.
Entities
Artists
- Sayaka Murata
- Keiko Furukura
Institutions
- ArtReview Asia
Locations
- Tokyo
- Japan