Promotional Information

The surprise smash hit of 2018 now in paperback - Japan's answer to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

About the Author

One of the most celebrated of the new generation of Japanese writers, Sayaka Murata has won not only the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, but the Gunzo, Noma, and Mishima Yukio Prizes as well. Her story, 'A Clean Marriage', was featured in Granta 127 Japan. She is 38 years old and works part-time in a convenience store.

Ginny Tapley Takemori has translated Ryu Murakami, Miyabe Miyuki, Akiyuki Nosaka, and Kyotaro Nishimura, among others. Her translation of Tomiko Inui's The Secret of the Blue Glass was shortlisted for the Marsh Award.

Reviews

For literary refreshment, try the playful, artful Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
*Observer*

Exhilaratingly weird and funny ... Unsettling and totally unpredictable - my copy is now heavily underlined
*Guardian*

A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky and profound
*Irish Times*

Fascinating... universally familiar
*Guardian*

[A] short, deadpan gem... This is a true original
*Daily Mail*

A new book from an incredible woman... from this dark and delightful [novel] springs a feminist rallying cry: trust yourself
*Emerald Street*

Murata's fascinating Convenience Store Woman, a tale about a happy misfit that's equal parts wily and disquieting
*Irish Times*

I picked up this novel on a trip to Japan and couldn't put it down. A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman. As an extra bonus, it totally transformed my experience of going to convenience stores in Tokyo
*The Idiot*

A darkly comic novel
*Observer*

Poignant, darkly comic and wonderfully uplifting, this novel will resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of kilter with the world around them
*Herald*

This novel made me laugh. It was the first time for me to laugh in this way: it was absurd, comical, cute... audacious, and precise. It was overwhelming
*Strange Weather in Tokyo*

Convenience Store Woman is a gem of a book. Quirky, deadpan, poignant, and quietly profound, it is a gift to anyone who has ever felt at odds with the world - and if we were truly being honest, I suspect that would be most of 'us'
*A Tale for the Time Being*

An offbeat, tongue-in-cheek read... a tale of finding one's own path to happiness
*Skinny*

The compelling English-language debut from Sayaka Murata ... enthralling
*Book Oxygen*

When the protagonist [of Convenience Store Woman], a social outcast, is placed within the box of the artificially normalized convenience store, we begin to vividly see the strangeness of the people in the world outside
*The Housekeeper and the Professor*

Witty, wily, and astonishingly sharp, Convenience Store Woman proves that the deepest gouges can come from the lightest touch
*Lisa McInerney*

What a weird and wonderful and deeply satisfying book this is. Sayaka Murata is an utterly unique and revolutionary voice. I tore through Convenience Store Woman with great delight
*The Middlesteins*

I was really amazed by Convenience Store Woman and the particular reality it exquisitely portrays... I am sincerely delighted that such a novel has come into being
*In The Miso Soup*

Convenience Store Woman is snarky and tender. It shows a woman trying to puzzle out how to be normal. This brilliant book will resonate with all of us who find life a little strange
*Harmless Like You*

Adorable!
*Before Brunch*

Quirky, funny and beautifully observed
*Daily Mail*

I love it...Everyone has time to read this book!
*The Gloss*

It's rare to find a relatively static narrative evoke such an intense atmosphere
*Cherwell Online*

A short yet exciting read
*Bath Magazine*

[Keiko's] story will resonate with readers who wish they could be content in their own little worlds
*Sun*