In the Tokyo suburbs, four women work the draining graveyard shift at a boxed-lunch factory. Burdened with chores and heavy debts and isolated from husbands and children, they all secretly dream of a way out of their dead-end lives. A young mother among them finally cracks and strangles her philandering, gambling husband then confesses her crime to Masako, the closest of her colleagues. For reasons of her own, Masako agrees to assist her friend and seeks the help of the other co-workers to dismember and dispose of the body. ...
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In the Tokyo suburbs, four women work the draining graveyard shift at a boxed-lunch factory. Burdened with chores and heavy debts and isolated from husbands and children, they all secretly dream of a way out of their dead-end lives. A young mother among them finally cracks and strangles her philandering, gambling husband then confesses her crime to Masako, the closest of her colleagues. For reasons of her own, Masako agrees to assist her friend and seeks the help of the other co-workers to dismember and dispose of the body. The body parts are discovered, the police start asking questions, but the women have far more dangerous enemies - a yakuza connected loan shark who discovers their secret and has a business proposition, and a ruthless nightclub owner the police are convinced is guilty of the murder. He has lost everything as a result of their crime and he is out for revenge. "Out" is a psychologically taut and unflinching foray into the darkest recesses of the human soul, an unsettling reminder that the desperate desire for freedom can make the most ordinary person do the unimaginable.
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Kirino deftly juggles a cast of amazing, full-bodied characters in this rich, dark and brutal crime thriller. It's a pleasure watching the interlocking plot lines snap together to form an suspenseful, emotional wallop.
Four women are friends working at a boxed lunch factory in a Tokyo suburb. When one of them murders her abusive husband, the other three end up helping in the cover-up and disposal of the body.
Even the best-laid plans, though this was anything but planned, can go awry....and boy do they ever!
Complications beget complications to the point of becoming gut-wrenching.
My stomach was in knots with anticipation as to what might happen next.
I was not disappointed. This is one shock-inducing, highly-involving crime story.
I will be seeking out Ms. Kirino's other works.
MartinHughHarvey
Sep 10, 2009
Different
What else should one expect from a Japanese author? Thoroughly enjoyable, story that continually builds, and with an ending that while wasn't a big bang or crescendo was thoroughly satisfying. I read this as I'd heard good reviews of this author and it certainly won't be my last Kirino book.
Oh and the translation was superb - beautifully written English that certainly couldn't have just been a rote translation.
Xie46
Aug 10, 2008
Roller coaster ride
This is a crime novel with a difference. It is ages since I read a crime novel that I either could not predict to a greater or lesser extent, or cared about the characters so much! For me it worked on more than one level. It is a great story, but there are other themes in there that were interesting, political and feminist (but if you don't like politics that should not put you off, it works as a story). I thought it was really good and original. Give it a go, I hope you wont be disappointed.
Angelimar
Jul 15, 2008
Incredible
At the begining of the book I thought OMG what am I reading I dont like this type of books, but I force my self to read and in the middle a couldnt stop, its very interesting different and well thought, you'll never guess the ending.
bookgeek
Apr 3, 2007
Gory, Strange, and Very Interesting
If you think the women on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES are out there, wait until you read this book. Although there is hardly any sex, there is plenty of dark, strange plot twists.
Natsuo Kirino's OUT is a startling look at the fictional lives of ordinary Japanese women working in a boxed lunch factory. The women get caught up in a murder, and must find a way to dispose of the body in order to protect themselves and their families. This is not a book for the faint of heart, or for anyone with a weak stomach. Filled with blood, gore, and psychotic mafia men, this is an intense, gripping portrait of desperation.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The characters were fairly well developed, the plot was interesting, and it was well-translated. My biggest problem was that the suspense built and built over the course of the book, but the climax wasn't very rewarding. The ending of the book was anti-climatic, and I felt a little cheated at the end.
I'd recommend this book to people who enjoyed such films as THE AUDITION, SIN CITY, and KILL BILL. The book was very hard for me to put down, and I stayed up til 4 in the morning one night just to finish it.
If you are a fan of the dark side of Japan, you will love this book.
