Started reading Convenience Store Woman about 2 weeks ago and I just finished today.
It started out interesting but I felt it went off track when they introduced the character of Shiraha. So much so, that it became a different story. Now, I've been watching and reading all about Japan and the culture since the early 90s. I don't know everything there is to know socially (everyday etiquette, etc.) but I tried to kind of decipher what the story was trying to convey. I know this was translated from Japanese so it seemed to me some of the translation was off. There were a few parts where the main character refers to the food she was giving Shiraha as "feed". I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not because he had referred to people as animals. But if I recall correctly, she said it again when she was talking to her sister (or maybe Shiraha's sister-in-law).
The ending was flat. It wasn't an ending for me; it felt more like a cliffhanger. Not that something happened and I was left to figure out what the outcome was. It was more like the story just stopped. It wasn't a satisfying ending for me.
Then, after the story, there seemed to be more. I thought maybe like an epilogue, but it wasn't. The author had written an essay that was really odd. I dunno, maybe it's me and I just didn't get "it".
Overall, it was a good story until it wasn't. Not writing off this author yet though. I have a few of her works on my wishlist.
I'd give this book 6.5/10
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