The Convenience Store by the Sea

The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida, translated by Bruno Navasky

The book is a simple heartwarming tale of the lives of many people whose lives are connected via a local convenience store, "Tenderness". The store manager is charismatic and cares for others. He really seeks the best and love to help others. He has his own fan club of older women. A woman pursues her passion of manga and helps others. (Her son thinks she is having an affair in a later episode.) There is a schoolgirl who sneaks treats and befriends another girl who is bullied for being different. (The later finds out she was caring for her dying father.) A retiree finds the joy of being a substitute grandfather and is helped in the process. He shunned convenience stores at first but found they can be helpful. The many episodes are all fairly independent, but tie together. In the end there is a classic mixup where the manager sister comes to the store while the manager goes to the family home (and they don't have cell signal.) It all works out after the everyone in the community rallies together to help. The characters are universal, though it is strongly placed in Japan with many subtle bits of Japanese culture.