Out: A Thriller
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • Winner of Japan's Grand Prix for Crime Fiction • Edgar Award Finalist • Nothing in Japanese literature prepares us for the stark, tension-filled, plot-driven realism of Natsuo Kirino’s award-winning literary mystery Out.
This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot’s ringleader, but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning, as it leads to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society.
At once a masterpiece of literary suspense and pitch-black comedy of gender warfare, Out is also a moving evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds, and the friendships that bolster them in the aftermath.
This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot’s ringleader, but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning, as it leads to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society.
At once a masterpiece of literary suspense and pitch-black comedy of gender warfare, Out is also a moving evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds, and the friendships that bolster them in the aftermath.
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Community Reviews
AMAZING. Not only does the author present the Japanese culture in a very different matter, but also manages to make the story thrilling, entertaining, and at times scary. I love this book from beginning to end and everything in between.
Not only did it read well, but it presented different characters from different social realms and have them even interact with each other in such a way that made the story all the more captivating. In addition , the author does a great job of making each character's personality come out through the pages. I found myself cursing at one particular character who drove me crazy and whose end actually made me happy. lol.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a thriller, crime filled book. I appreciate the author presenting the Japanese culture and societal hierarchies within the novel because it gives us somewhat of a taste of how things are in a different part of the world. I'm not going to pretend like I know a lot about Japanese culture, but I feel that in this book it added to the allure of the novel.
I admire the author's talent in writing such a gruesome story, but also tying it all together with each character presented in the plot as well as presenting psychological points of view within the book.
Not only did it read well, but it presented different characters from different social realms and have them even interact with each other in such a way that made the story all the more captivating. In addition , the author does a great job of making each character's personality come out through the pages. I found myself cursing at one particular character who drove me crazy and whose end actually made me happy. lol.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a thriller, crime filled book. I appreciate the author presenting the Japanese culture and societal hierarchies within the novel because it gives us somewhat of a taste of how things are in a different part of the world. I'm not going to pretend like I know a lot about Japanese culture, but I feel that in this book it added to the allure of the novel.
I admire the author's talent in writing such a gruesome story, but also tying it all together with each character presented in the plot as well as presenting psychological points of view within the book.
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