SAYAKA Murata’s novel, Convenience Store Woman, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, is a strange and utterly engaging work of fiction. Part of its charm lies in its sly humour—sometimes deadpan, sometimes situational—which arrives obliquely, often through a character’s reaction to an awkward or cringe-inducing setup. The novel’s minimalist approach treasures small moments, […]
