I came away feeling quite uplifted by her end discovery that she always knew who she was - that being a convenience store woman is indeed a significant part of her reason for living and perhaps, life satisfaction. I think a lot of our feelings about Keiko are projections of our own fears and her family's fears, not hers. I definitely has initial projections I had to chip away as I read.

I loved all the details of the convenience store work. There was quiet pride in her way of describing things that were clearly important to her.