Meet Keiko. Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years. Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store... 'Witty, wily, and astonishingly sharp' Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies 'An exhilaratingly weird and funny Japanese novel.. Unsettling and totally unpredictable' Sally Rooney 'A haunting, dark, and often hilarious take on society's expectations of the single woman' Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot '[A] short, deadpan gem... This is a true original' Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail 'From this slight, dark and delightful book springs a feminist rallying cry: trust yourself' Emerald Street 'A sure-fire hit of the summer... quirky [and] profound' Irish Times 'An offbeat, tongue-in-cheek read... a tale of finding one's own path to happiness' Skinny

One of the most celebrated of the new generation of Japanese writers, Sayaka Murata has won not only the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, but the Gunzo, Noma, and Mishima Yukio Prizes as well. Her story, 'A Clean Marriage', was featured in Granta 127 Japan. She is 36-years-old and works part-time in a convenience store. Ginny Tapley Takemori has translated Ryu Murakami, Miyabe Miyuki, Akiyuki Nosaka, and Kyotaro Nishimura, among others. Her translation of Tomiko Inui's The Secret of the Blue Glass was shortlisted for the Marsh Award.