Convenience Store Woman

After Keiko decides to quit her job, she hears a “long-forgotten silence that sounded like music” before it is replaced by floorboards creaking under Shiraha’s steps (97). Why is the silence musical to her, and what does its interruption imply?

What about the convenience store originally draws Keiko to it? Does this lure change as the book progresses? What draws her back to the store at the end of the book? What does this lure say about Keiko?

Is Keiko reliable as a narrator? Why or why not?

What would it mean for Keiko to be “cured?” Is it possible for Keiko to participate in “normal” society as she is? Is it important that she do so? Why or why not?

Whose views on the world do you most agree with the most: Keiko’s, Shiraha’s, or Keiko’s sister’s? Whose do you disagree with the most? Why?

What are some books you’ve read with a similar structure to Convenience Store Woman? How does the book’s structure help Sayaka Murata convey the book’s message?

Could Convenience Store Woman work as a story if it took place in the United States? How would it be different?

How do Keiko’s three childhood incidents impact her as an adult? What do they reveal about her?