There is something odd about Ms. Keiko Furukura. She is in her mid-thirties and works at a Convenience Store for over 18 years. At age 36, she is trying to understand her place in society and trying to adapt herself in society’s mould.

From childhood itself, Keiko Furukura is considered to be an oddball character. A not-so-normal girl who is trying to fit into her parents’ definition of an obedient child, trying to be an average student and most importantly be a person fitting into societal expectations. And she fails miserably into all of this.

Although Keiko managed to complete her education as expected to be completed by any adult wishing to start an independent life but not with much of an heart. One day, as if by chance; her fate brings her to a shiny newly opened convenience store with an opportunity to work there and be part of clog-in-the-wheel-of-the-society. And first time in life, she feels at home; there is spring in her step and smile on her face. This same convenience store becomes her life for over 18 years.

The dry, flat tone of the book gives us an idea about how her life passes without much of an event or obstacle. Here the author narrates that Keiko is living, breathing, eating and keeping herself healthy solely for the convenience store. She is living a life of a social recluse and because of her limited social skills, more often than not she is ridiculed by her friends and family. Her tepid, monotonous, purposeless life disturbs her family, specially to her sister; who on the other hand, is fulfilling all expectations of having a normal life by getting married, having a kid and basically settling down in the normal sense of the word.

Then Keiko meets Shiraha; an oddball, dubious co-worker who is eventually kicked-off unceremoniously from the convenience store. He is also another type of societal recluse but that is more to do with his inability to hold down a steady job and no surety of income. Some readers might find him an equal non-normal natured person like Keiko, who has difficulty in fitting into society’s expectations to lead a routine life. However, I thought of him more as a cunning person who although pretends to have grandiose schemes and too much knowledge about how society functions ‘since-stone-ages’; is all talks and no substance. Basically, his idea of existence is to live off a rich or high earning woman and pretend to fit into the societal expectations of a regular guy.

It’s not surprising that he basically talks into Keiko to take a drastic decision and acts the way he should when, for once she wants to follow her heart and not what others are expecting out of her.

If you are in search of a different book with some strange characters then this is definitely recommended as a next read.