Aditi Dam

I have finally managed to read the book 'Convenience Store Woman' that explores the life of a perfectly sane and healthy minded middle aged woman, who through no fault of her own, perpetually struggles to fit in the social decorum. While the story revolves around the life of convenience store workers and how their day job lies in the service of the consumers. The protagonist of the story has been portrayed as someone out of the ordinary, whose raw and unadulterated exhibition of behaviour, though appears to be a misfit in the conventional societal ecosystem, is sure to leave a mark in the reader's mind. The best part about the book is how it opened my eyes to the context that each of us is perhaps made up of the people and the community we associate ourselves with. I am a certain percentage of my core self and the remaining percentage of my being, of my way of behaving, speaking, walking, dressing, laughing is more to do with the people around me. Whom we are with, whom we closely interact with, whom we cross our paths with, goes behind shaping us as an individual. It has resonated sentimentally so much with me, that I relate to the moments where my conscious self picks up certain things (behaviour or a piece of character) outside my habitual pretext, that could only have been perceived by my subconscious mind through close associations with certain people. And while the story ends where the protagonist after a brief period of dilemma, finally realises her purpose in life, the purpose that she has long been pursuing and living, yet never quite knew that was the right fit for her. The story speaks vividly of life and how one can perceive life without having to align with the definition set by the society. The story has a certain depth that might seem a bit gloomy and painful to stomach, but is also very eloquent and wakes us up to the thought that there's no definite way to live life! Live life as you perceive!