Novella Reviews: WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? + CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN

Two short reviews of novellas ---

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

Dial Press, Oct.8, 2024. 133 pages.

Eve is a successful writer but one day she wakes up in a hospital not remembering how she got there or why. Her husband, sitting by her side, tells her she just had surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. He patiently tells her this even though he has told her many times before. Eve's memory is now so fickle and fleeting.

Over the next few months Eve must learn to do almost all normal tasks again -- walking, talking, writing. She also figures out what kind of cancer she has and how low the survival rate, forcing her to stare her own mortality in the face. Brief anecdotes tell Eve's story as she walks through this new reality.

What we learn at the end is that Eve's story is actually Sophie's story, with details changed, of course. She said, “Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”

I placed this book on my TBR last November after other participants in 'Novellas in November' recommended it. I am so glad I read it when I did. Two friends have recently been diagnosed with brain tumors. Though I cried my way through it, I also felt the relief of hope. If Sophie Kinsella survived such a deadly form of cancer maybe my friends will too.

Rating: 5 stars

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.

Grove Press, June 12, 2018. Originally published in Japan, July 27, 2016. 163 pages.

Keiko Furakura has known she was different than her peers from a very young age. She just doesn't see the world as others do. If only she could figure out the right things to say and the right way to dress then maybe she could finally be accepted. During college she finds a job at new convenience store near to where she is going to school. The 'Smile Mart' trains its employees by a manual, even scripting dialogue to use with customers. For the first time in her life Keiko understands social interactions and she excels in her job. She also observes the way other employees dress and their manners of speech and finds she can copy them to fit in better. She finally feels like she is a functional part of society. Eighteen years later she is still working at 'Smile Mart' but her family is worried she is not living up to her potential in such a dead-end job. Her few friends also hound her about why she isn't married. Then one day a man with similar communication problems as Keiko gets hired at the store and everything changes.

Don and I listened to the audiobook of Convenience Store Woman on a recent trip. both of us found the book both interesting and fascinating. We have many friends, colleagues, and family members who are neurodivergent on the autism spectrum. We understand that everyone doesn't process information the same, but that doesn't mean we don't notice when behavior isn't inside the normal societal expectation. We just try not to get too judgy. Keiko was clearly very high functioning she just couldn't read social cues such as recognizing facial or body language and she wasn't interested in dating. She was happy with her life but also wanted to please others by behaving "normally." Her "fix" with the new male employee was so obviously a bad choice it shows how far people will go to try to fit in. Sadly.

Alongside Keiko's story, Convenience Store Woman gives American readers a fun peek at Japanese culture. Convenience stores like the 'Smile Mart' are common in Japan -- small stores where people can pick up a variety of products quickly, including ready-to-go food. These stores sound like a better version of our 7-11s. The foods they offer, like rice balls and chocolate-melon drinks, showcase cultural differences, also. Don and I found ourselves laughing at some of the varieties and combinations offered as daily specials. And we tried pronouncing the typical Japanese greeting, as Keiko did everytime someone entered the store, -- "Irasshaimasé!".  Overall we both enjoyed the book very much. 

Both Don and I rated the book 4 stars.

-Anne