Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

i was first introduced to sayaka murata through "Life Ceremony". even though i only read the titular piece in the larger collection of stories, her ability to turn the mundane into weird, or add a mundanity to weirdness, was immediately and distinctly exhibited. so with the front cover referenced her as the author of Convenience Store Woman, her most acclaimed novel going off what i could find on the web, i just had to read it. it only took a day or two to finish (its like 170 pages long) but still left me with a great deal to chew on. frankly, i dont understand how the people quoted on the cover got what they did from this. its not something that makes you clutch your gut with laughter. theres a deal of black humor in it, but that is mostly found in the outlandishness of situations or what characters say. it's a bitter, sensual, and troubling satire on alienation, incel culture, and the violence of socialization within modern capitalism. keiko's obsession with the convenience store isn't a celebration of uniquesness or nonconformity; its an assimilation, as capital turns everything, including human individuality and spirit, into a monetary relation. i think murata hones in nicely on this dual existence/atomization keiko faces as both proletarian and female. her almost psychosexual relationship with the convenience store highlights the neuroticism of this intersection in an explicit, but still thoughtful & enjoyable way. anyway its a really good read and id recommend it to anyone! do check it out