Convenience Store Woman

The book "Life Ceremony" contains short stories by Japanese writer Sayaka Murata, which are very popular in Japan. Her works are both sweet and shocking at the same time, prompting the reader to reflect—and remaining in memory for a long time.

Murata weaves the funny and the horrifying into her stories, overturning traditional norms and morality to reveal the inner world of her heroes, who are often outcasts and loners. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the events take place—in modern Japan, in the past, or in an alternative reality—because Murata’s characters look strangely normal in that strange world.

Through her strange and surprising stories about family, friendship, sex, closeness, community, and individuality, the author asks questions about what it means to be human in our world.