Out by Natsuo Kirino Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Out
Book Review: Night-shift noir
Summary: 5 Stars
Masako, Yayoi, Yoshie, and Kumiko work the night shift at a boxed lunch factory in a characterless Tokyo suburb. Each has her reason for working at night and earning a little extra money: Masako's husband and son have grown so distant that she finds it less painful to be away from them as much as possible. Yayoi has small children and a spendthrift husband. Widowed Yoshie cares for an invalid mother-in-law and a teen daughter in the throes of rebellion, and young Kumiko`s taste for luxury has put her deep in debt. They are ordinary women living in a dull suburb with boring jobs and dead-end lives who manage to find the gallows humor in their situation.. Yet before Out is over, one of them will have murdered her husband, two will embark on a sickening business venture, and one will be dead. Author Natsuo Kirino won Japan's top mystery award for this novel, which smashes the perception of Japan as a society of either work-focused drones or trendy Ginza teens. These women live surprisingly close to the underworld, and they find that violence and seedy glamour are closer than they think. "Out" is dark, violent, and psychologically astute--the very definition of noir. This is Kirino's first book to appear in English, and apparently her other award-winner will be published in English soon. This novel is highly recommended for readers who like to explore the dark side of a different culture.
Book Review: Original and compelling
Summary: 4 Stars
OUT by Natsuo Kirino (Kodosha, 2003)OUT is one of those novels that without the award nomination (the Edgar Award for best novel), would never be brought to the attention of the mystery community in the US. The combination of the small press putting out a very very long translated book is often a formula for disaster. It is a tribute to the Edgar committee that they discovered this gem and gave it the recognition it so deserves.
OUT is the story of four women living in the Tokyo suburbs. What they have in common is that they all work the nightshift in a food packaging plant. All have very different but highly troubled lives. Masako Katori, separated from her husband and living with an alienated and troubled son is lonely and bored. Kuniko Jonouchi is in major trouble with loan sharks in that she insists on living well above her means. Yoshie Azuma, a widow stuck into the role of caretaker of an invalid mother-in-law has two troubled daughters and Yayoi Yamamoto living with two small children and saddled with an abusive husband who gambles away what precious little they have. All their lives get overturned when, in a fit of rage, Yayoi strangles her husband and asks Masako to dispose of the body. She agrees and with the help of the others, they must do all they can to avoid suspicion falling on themselves. This proves highly difficult when the loan sharks haunting Kuniko find out the truth.
Natsuo Kirino has written one of the most original works of the year. It is character rich with a plot so clever that in spite of the length, the pacing moves relatively rapidly. This is not a perfect work, however. Too much minutiae tends to get in the way of the story progression. Black humor takes over and might remind some readers of the tale of SWEENEY TODD. A major problem with this otherwise carefully written work is the suboptimal conclusion which is the most unrealistic part of the book and proves to be highly unsatisfying.
Book Review: Queen of Mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a HUGE FAN of Kirino Natsuo!! I always thought that it was really sad that I could not share her books with my friends who cannot read Japanese. But hey, here is her book in English! Bravo! Her descriptions of characters and backgrounds are incredibly real and vivid since they are most of the times inspired by the real people on the real problems of Japanese society. Her analysis over those problematic situations is always deep and critical so that it often shocks you by revealing the painful reality and the drama underneath our everyday life. In her books, reality does not byte, but stabs. So, if you are ready to be shocked and stabbed by the undeniable reality, I would recommend her books to you, but if not, you'd better stay away from them because you'll see what you don't want to see. Anyways, I love her books. "Gyokuran" is actually my favorite book. Hopefully, that one will be translated and brought to American fans soon, too.Book Review: Review of Out
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently had the opportunity to read the psychological thriller Out by Natsuo Kirino. This intriguing novel is plot driven, but much of the story is dependent on character development and change. Each of the major characters is developed in detail, in all of their psychological complexity. Each of these four women go through her own turmoil, in an attempt to come to terms with what she has participated in. The novel also offers a look at the darker sides of Japanese society. Very normal lives are turned upside down by murder yet they must still focus on their day-to-day responsibilities and deal with the criminal world. Out is a good thriller and not for the faint at heart(there are passages of violence). It is a facinating storyline.Book Review: Slow, slow, slow beginning, but picks up.
Summary: 3 Stars
Natsuo Kirino, Out (Kodansha, 1997)
Out has become the literary equivalent of Ring, the latest book from Japan to sett he American literary world on fire. I don't know whether it's because I read a lot more Japanese literature than the average bear, a lot more thrillers, I just don't get it, or some combination of all three, but it just didn't light me up the way it seems to have done for everyone else.
The story: Yayoi is young, beautiful, and down on her luck, working the night shift at a part-time boxed-lunch factory and putting up with an abusive husband in order to keep a stable home for the kids. One night, however, she snaps and murders her husband. Desperate for help, she can only think of one person to call: her co-worker Masako, who agrees to help Yayoi dispose of the body. Masako ropes in two other co-workers, and thus a conspiracy is born-- but one fraught with tension and mistrust, as all four participants have various, and divergent, reasons for getting in on the scheme.
Things do get interesting about two-thirds of the way through the book, when some of the divergent threads come together in an interesting, unexpected, and blackly humorous way, Until then, however, it plays rather like a combination of Les Diaboliques and Memories of Underdevelopment. The pieces fit together, yes, and it's obvious that Kirino is interested in highlighting the plight of lower-class Japanese workers as a sub-theme. Still, it all seems contrived somehow. In addition, Masako is a good character, which serves to highlight the shallowness of detail in some of those close to her in importance in the narrative (Yayoi, oddly, seems especially sketchy for a main character).
Good once it gets off the ground, but takes way too long, and is too predictable, until that point for a wholehearted recommendation. ***