Status Updates From Grotesque

natsuo kirino is so good at writing feminist noir. i have taken so many incredible notes while reading this book, unexpectedly. i love how she takes a crime story and fleshes it out into a complex character study. so good. i 🫶🏾 you queen

yikes

this a slow-paced read consisting of the intricate character studies through the lens of a (currently) unnamed narrator— deep diving into the backgrounds of two young women who were murdered while working as prostitutes. one of the women is the narrator’s sister, and the other— a frenemy named Kazue. full of sociopolitical commentary through the mouth of an unfiltered woman, this is so good imo

is the narrator turning out to be a morally grey character?! ooooh i love.

a waaaay better translation than the one in Real World. i think i’m going to like this book so much more 🤞🏾