There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura

Kikuko Tsumura’s novel (translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton) is a quiet yet engaging musing on the place of work in modern life.

The book is split into five chapters – almost like short stories, but development of the main character occurs throughout – each of which details a new job. The novel begins with the unnamed narrator walking into a temp agency and asking for an “easy job” – one that doesn’t require her to think, read or write too much, as she suffered burnout syndrome as a result of her last job.

What follows is a thoughtful and calming inquiry into the elusive “easy job,” and the effect work has on our daily lives, no matter how mundane. The protagonist is employed in a range of quirky jobs: surveillance of a writer suspected of receiving contraband, a jingle-writer for a bus route, a rice cracker wrapper fact-writer, a distributor of public service announcement posters and a worker in a gigantic forest park. There are underlying elements of suspicious or even supernatural goings-on in each. Despite being billed as easy jobs, the protagonist finds each role more emotionally taxing as she simultaneously dedicates more of herself to the job, and is expected to carry out tasks beyond the job description.

Consequently, Tsumura’s novel also explores the implications of our modern ideas about work on our out-of-office life. From not being able to collect a parcel because she’s always at work, to becoming over-invested in working life, there are a lot of relatable notions and plenty of moments of humanity.

No matter how small, insubstantial or "easy" their jobs may seem, Tsumura treats her characters with dignity and respect and gently exposes the value of each and every one.

Ironically, reading this book was a very easy job - and in the best way possible. While the story gently meanders through the quirks and idiosyncrasies of working life, Tsumura hints at deeper issues that are food for thought. And speaking of food - I enjoyed the narrator's explanation of her daily meals maybe a little too much. That said, if you need an action-packed or overtly dramatic novel, this might not be your cup of (matcha) tea.​

Posted by AM

Catalogue link: There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job