Genre: Contemporary fiction.
Year of Original Publication: 2016.
Page Number: 163.
First Line: "A convenience store is a world of sound."
Any Triggers? Not that I saw, but I lost patience with this book so who knows.
Summary: Keiko is a 36-year-old with autism (the book never states this outright, but it is very heavily implied) who has been working in the same convenience store since college. She loves working at the store, but everyone around her seems to have a problem with this. They make her feel like she's doing something wrong by not having a "normal" life with a "real job," marriage and children. As a result of this pressure, she gets into a fake relationship with a lazy bum who had just started working at the store so she could give off the appearance of conforming to social norms.
My Thoughts: Here's the thing, I'm on the autism spectrum. So, I have a very highly tuned bullshit-o-meter when it comes to how autism is portrayed in the media. And I am massively side-eying this book. The summary on the book reads that this is "a brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche." What kind of "unusual psyche" do they think they're talking about?
As I've mentioned, the word "autism" is never mentioned in this book, but it's still very obvious that that's what's going on with Keiko. The book demonstrates a very old-fashioned understanding of what autism is, but I still recognized it. I'm willing to bet that anyone else on the spectrum will as well. Things like not understanding social norms that others seem to intuitively understand and professionals blaming the person's actions on bad parenting are all common autistic story tropes. Hell, I've noticed that asexuality is very common for people on the spectrum as well. I skimmed through some Goodreads reviews and I found it bizarre that seemingly no one has picked up on this subtext that I find obvious.
I also find it bizarre that this story that involves an autistic woman being taken advantage of is framed as a quirky, funny heroine story. Keiko isn't quirky, she has a disability. She's not consciously being a nonconformist rebel. The convenience store is the only place that has given her specific, clear instructions on how she should act and is therefore one of the few places of employment she can succeed at. I'm at a similar age as Keiko. Let me tell you, having a condition that excludes you from certain types of employment is not cute or funny. Having a hard time forming close relationships is not cute or funny.
So I have no way of engaging with this material. I can't take this as a heartwarming tale, because it strikes too close to home to be heartwarming. I can't take this as a comedy because I don't find this story funny. I guess I like the setting, I did enjoy the convenience stores when I was in Japan. But that wasn't enough.
It's clear that a lot of people like this book. I'm not trying to be a downer. And to be fair, I have no problem with the overarching "finding a comfortable rut and never changing is a perfectly valid way to live if that's what makes you happy" message that the book espouses. I'm not offended if people found something to enjoy out of this. I just feel that autistic people deserve better stories than this.
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