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Out [Paperback]

Natsuo Kirino
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage (2 Sep 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099472287
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099472285
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 14,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

New York Times Book Review

'OUT is a potent cocktail of urban blight, perverse feminism and vigilante justice.'

USA today

'No gritty urban American tale of violence can match the horror of OUT.'

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Customer Reviews

71 Reviews
5 star:
 (43)
4 star:
 (19)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (71 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars eting & Relevant Fiction That Surpasses Genre. Excellent!!, 16 Nov 2005
By 
Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Out (Paperback)
Four women, co-workers on the night shift at a box lunch factory on the outskirts of Tokyo, form an unlikely friendship based on their mutual desperation -a dissatisfaction with their inattentive, unresponsive husbands and disaffected children, strained economic situations and emotional isolation. When Yayoi Yamamoto, a young wife and mother kills her abusive, philandering spouse, the four come together voluntarily to perform a most grisly act. They dismember the body to facilitate disposal. Although of disparate ages and characters, the women become quite bound to one another through an increasing web of conspiracy, self-interest and suspicion. A series of indiscretions and careless mistakes expose them all to unforeseeable dangers.

"Out" is so much more than a psychological thriller or a formulaic crime novel. This is fiction that surpasses genre. Although plot driven, much of the story is dependent on character development and change. The characters are portrayed so vividly, even the minor ones, that the reader cannot help but form a strong attachment to them. It really does not matter, ultimately, if the connection is positive or not - one still looks forward to following the various personages forward to their individual destinies. Masako Katori, shrewd and extremely intelligent, is the definite leader among the women and an absolutely fascinating figure. Although she has perfected a cold, detached veneer with which she presents herself to the world, inside she is despondent and in turmoil. Increasingly alone and alienated from her husband and teenage son, she longs for "freedom." "It had started with something in her. Her hopelessness and a longing for freedom had brought her to this point." Masako is looking for a way "out" of her claustrophobic life.

This is definitely a novel noir, with a substantial dose of S&M thrown into the mix. obviously not for the faint of heart. I became absorbed in the story almost instantly, only to have my interest wane after the murder is committed. My attention span was at fault here, not the author's writing. Fortunately I stayed with it because the second half of the novel is even better than the first, I think - really riveting! This is some of the best and most unusual writing I have encountered in some time. It is also very disturbing. Since I do not speak Japanese I can only judge by the translation, and for me the stark, gritty prose really accentuates the building tension in the narrative and the oppressiveness of the environment. I found myself thinking about "Out" long after I had turned the last page.

Ms. Natsuo provides a rare glimpse into the bleak subculture of many lower middle class Japanese workers who live on the margins of society, worlds away from the lights and glitter of Tokyo's Ginza district. Readers also gain access to the grim Japanese underworld. I should note that there is wonderful dark humor throughout to alleviate the oppressive quality of the storyline.

Although Natsuo Kirino is considered one of the best mystery writers in Japan, multiple award-winning novel "Out" is Ms. Kirino's first book to be published in English. It has also been made into a Japanese motion picture.
JANA

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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is scary reading!, 9 Aug 2007
By 
SJSmith (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Out (Paperback)
An amazing read. I'm not usually keen on award winners, approaching them with trepidation as I usually find them stilted and well basically, boring. I will defintely be looking out for more by this author!

Set in the suberbs of Tokyo there are four women who work the night shifts at a boxed-lunch factory. All four have different reasons for needing to be there - money, only job available, to be alone; although the one thing they have in common is a need to escape (primarily from their own lives). This is the first meaning of the title 'Out'.

One of the women kills her husband, for a variety of reasons and amazingly Masako offers to help her. There is no reason for her to help, but she does. They actually dismember and dispose of him. Meanwhile we are introduced to a nightclub owner (Satake) who the police believe has committed the murder.

The story centres eventually around these two characters, who for me are the two appearing on the dust jacket. We follow their lives - every part of it, from their dreams, fears to their daily routines and more especially their enemies.

If you felt disturbed by reading 'American Psycho' then this may carry the same or worse feelings. It's cold from the outset. Initially this took me by surprise but then I realised it could be to reflect the genre or be traditional of this writing style. The characters are so convincingly described and the narrative is so powerful. It really is a chilling read. It is violent, disturbing and will seep into you when you least expect it.

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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Out, Natsuo Kirino, 19 Nov 2004
By 
RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Out (Paperback)
I have said that the best crime fiction is not coming from Britain or America but from Europe. While the basic truth of that sentence remains, I might have to change it: the best crime fiction is not coming from Britain or America but from almost anywhere else.

Natuso Kirino's "Out" won prizes in its native Japan, and was also shortlisted for America's prestigious Edgar Award, making her the first Japanese author ever to up for the award. She didn't win (Ian Rankin's Resurrection Men did), but she easily could have. This is a super book; a harrowing and cloying read that has a whiff of Ruth Rendell about it (it's odd and yet telling how the best crime fiction from anywhere in the world is compared to Rendell's considerable yardstick). It's the story of four women who work the Night Shift at a boxed-lunch factory in Tokyo. Eventually, under pressure from an overbearing and abuse husband, one snaps and kills him. She turns to her co-workers for help disposing of the body. Thus they're drawn into a dark work of death and violence. The police come to suspect a wealthy local businessman, and that suspicion ruins him. From that point on, he wants revenge on the real killers, and becomes increasingly convinced he knows just who they are...

This is probably set to be one of the crime novels of the year. It's superbly written, and, to use that old comparison again, the psychological insight Kirino shows toward her characters is distinctly of the Rendell quality. It's probably not an easy book to read, but it's certainly a rewarding and very tense one. In the best traditions of Eastern art (film, books, etc) it is originally and ever-so-slightly twisted. Despite it's length - which makes it a meaty read - it's paced quickly as the plot moves so effectively, shifts along smoothly. It's a deceptively clever book, too, as well as serving as a great window onto a certain section of Japanese society. It could almost be classed as feminist in its progressive portrayal of women in a society that generally views them with eyes very different to those of the Western world.

To people who like cheap thrills, this may not satisfy, as it's rather too full of detail, fascinating though it is. But to people who like complex, challenging and dark crime fiction (a la Mo Hayder, possibly), Out receives a hearty recommendation from me.

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