“The Saleswoman” by Murata Sayaka – Book Review

Murata Sayaka ‘s book “The Shop Clerk” (コンビニ人間Konbini ningen ) was a bestseller in Japan. Even after several years since its release in 2016, it remains one of the best-selling literary novels of recent years. This novel won Murata Sayaka the Gunzo Awards for New Writers , the Mishima Yukio Award , the Noma Literary New Face , and the Akutagawa Award .

Reminiscent of the work of Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, “The Shop Clerk” tells the story of a young woman, who loves her dead-end part-time job at a convenience store ( konbini ) in Tokyo and doesn’t understand her friends’ concern. and relatives for wanting it to be established. This is a sensitive portrait and ironic social novel, a sincere and brilliantly written novel.

Furukura Keiko is 36 years old and single and has never had a partner. Leaving behind his traditional family to move to Tokyo and work in a ” konbini ” All his life he has felt that he did not fit into society and in the store he has found a predictable and stable world, governed by processes and protocols that dictate to the workers how to act and what to say. But everyone wants to see Keiko leave that job, start a home and follow the conventional path. With this comical insight into society’s expectations of single women, Murata Sayaka exposes her voice in Japanese literature.

The author herself worked in a convenience store in Japan and it shows in the detail of the description and the great knowledge of the procedures and protocol of receiving in a ” konbini ” (as convenience stores are called in Japan) Despite her great success as a writer, she still finds the time to do an occasional shift at her store. It is an ideal topic for journalistic profiles.

A Japanese film adaptation of the novel is in the works, and American film studios have shown interest in the book.

If you have come to Japan and have entered a “konbini” more than once, it is very sure that you remember with nostalgia all the details of procedures and protocols of the workers, such as the much heard ” Irashaimaseeee ” or the ” Otsugi no kata douzo !”