Lost In Translation

Page 158 Books hosted the inaugural meeting of the Lost in Translation Book Club on September 5th, 2024. The Book Club aims to read translated novels from every country in the world. Our first stop was in Japan where we found our place working at a convenience store in the novel Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

The story focuses on our main character, Keiko, who is very happy with her life as a convenience store employee. Unfortunately, not everyone around her agrees. They question why Keiko does not want more for herself like a more respectable job (in their opinion), becoming a wife, and most importantly, becoming a mother. The fallout that ensues leaves the reader to ponder how they have had their lives changed for the worse by others expectations, and maybe (most definitely likely) when they have done so to others.

Overall, the book was a hit. Our group spent time discussing how we were able to connect with the book on a personal level. I, for one, read Convenience Store Woman during a career change that had left me riddled with anxiety. At the time, it was comforting to read a book where the main character had to navigate choosing between following the cultural norms that she grew up with and choosing what makes her happy. We went deep, discussing everything from gender performance, neurodiversity, cultural expectations, large changes in our lives, and how we interacted with our partners. Here’s a fun tidbit we discussed: turns out some couples do not in fact share a bed, and sometimes not even a room, and that’s okay. It’s strange to me that people care about this, but again, that was a main theme in the book; why do people care so much about what I do if I’m not getting in anyone else’s way?

Next up, we are reading I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman. The novel is our Belgium pick and it is translated from French. I don’t want to give too much away, but know we are going from a book about too many expectations to a book about how no expectations may just be scarier. Anyone is welcome at our next meeting at Page 158 books in Wake Forest, NC. We will be meeting on Thursday, October 3rd at 6 PM.

Interested in joining a bookclub, but Lost in Translation is not your speed? See our book club schedules here. We also have most books available on audio through Libro.fm. You can see the next three months of book clubs in audio here.

Happy reading!