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Out

Natsuo Kirino

Start date: April 15, 2009

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Yulia

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Reading List

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What Members Thought

Jul 11, 2007 Yulia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: criminal-intent, japandemonium, read-to-me-by-frank

A literary page-turner as timely as when it first came out, this biting critique of Japan's social and economic underclass begins when three female co-workers are forced to confront the act of a friend against her abusive husband, but evolves into a blistering exposé on those whose stories are never told: the unseen night-shift factory workers who make Japan's endless supply of box lunches; women who are swamped in credit-card debt but cannot live off their looks, youth, or father's paychecks as ...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Ardita rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Kirino's Out is not your regular bowl of ramen, which is already not as simple as it tastes. It's a delicate and intricate story. A mix of "CSI", "Desperate Housewives", peppered with "Dexter" in a "Psycho" bowl.

Instead of focusing on "whodunnit" and "perfect crime" plot, Kirino went way deeper: the criminal mind and what lies around "crossing the line" of sanity and normalcy, while maintaining harmony. Very Japanese indeed.. (and Asian, I'd say).

The first 70% of the book went as fast as Japan's ...more

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Apr 08, 2009 Ruth rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Perhaps I should first say that I generally do not read either mysteries or crime fiction. However, it’s not because of the subject matter so much as it is the writing. I’m a sucker for good writing no matter what the genre.

This one is no barnburner in the writing. I agree, it could be the result of the translation. But I found no moments that made me stop and take a breath, no graceful turns of phrase. Just solid, plodding competent uninspired and uninspiring writing.

Count me in the camp of th Perhaps I should first say that I generally do not read either mysteries or crime fiction. However, it’s not because of the subject matter so much as it is the writing. I’m a sucker for good writing no matter what the genre.

This one is no barnburner in the writing. I agree, it could be the result of the translation. But I found no moments that made me stop and take a breath, no graceful turns of phrase. Just solid, plodding competent uninspired and uninspiring writing.

Count me in the camp of those who got the characters mixed up all the time. And many of the subsidiary characters, too. Every time characters reappeared after an absence for a while, I had to think to figure out who they were.

This could be the fault of the names, Yoshie and Yayoi especially—too much alike—but I think it was also because, despite their differing histories, I didn’t find much differentiation among the characters. (Except, perhaps, for Kuniko.) I know we were told repeatedly by the omniscient narrator what motivated each character, but I wanted to know their motivations from inside each character, and I didn’t feel I did.

For instance, what motivated Masako? I never could figure her out, and since the story really revolved around her, it left me unsatisfied. While Satako was obviously a dangerous character, and despite the fact that we were told time and time again about his kinky sexual murder of a woman years earlier, for some reason I found it hard to buy his transformation from small time hoodster to sexual sadist.

What I did find interesting was the depiction of this part of Japanese society. Fascinating.

The dismemberments were treated so matter-of-factly that I didn’t find them horrifying. What I did find really frightening was when Masako began to realize that almost everyone she came into contact with was in some way stalking her. The unseen is more frightening than the obvious.

I gave it 3 stars, rather than 2, because it did keep me reading even if there were places where it got repetitive.

...more

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Nov 04, 2019 Tammy rated it did not like it

The ending ruined this book for me.

Up to the last scene, I had enjoyed how badass Masako was, and the not-often-told female story of Japan: some of the feminist remarks, like the one about the police officer never having had to work a part-time job because he was male, were spot on (and also kind of sad; 17 years later from this book’s publication and women still make up 70% of the part-time workforce but almost 0% of high-ranking positions, are still forced to wear high heels at work, etc.).

I l ...more

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Jul 05, 2014 Curious Squid rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, thrillers, gangsters

Basic synopsis: a woman kills her husband and her co-workers try to help her cover it up, and avoid getting caught.

When not being a terribly dark and gruesome book, it is an interesting look at modern Japanese women, and the struggles they face to make ends meet.

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May 20, 2009 Ricki rated it it was ok

Not an enjoyable read, nor one I'd ever vaguely consider re-reading. I was bored. ...more

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Nov 26, 2007 Temple Dog rated it really liked it

A must read for suspense thriller fans. It's almost unbelievable, but there are elements that seem plausible, which is what makes is an extraordinary read. Odd yes, but a page turner indeed. ...more

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