Let’s start with a few descriptors from the blurbs on the cover: nervy, perverse, dark, gruesome, depressing, daring, disturbing, brutal, unsentimental, scathing, gutsy, hair-raising.

The complex yet riveting narrative seamlessly combines a convincing glimpse into the grimy world of Japan's yakuza with a brilliant portrayal of the psychology of a violent crime and the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse between seasoned detectives and a group of determined but inexperienced criminals. Idem, "Inside OUT: Space, Gender, and Power in Kirino Natsuo", Japanese Language and Literature 40/2 (2006): 197–217.Horrifying violence lurks a hairsbreadth beneath the surface of drab modern Tokyo in veteran Kirino’s award-winning English-language debut.

Throughout the book, people are struck by Masako’s coldness and the darkness that seems to surround her. A young mother among them finally cracks and strangles her philandering, gambling husband then confesses her crime to Masako, the closest of her colleagues.Out' does not attempt to slay any proverbial demons but coaxes us to look them in the eye and recognize the possibility that all acts of patriarchal oppression are underpinned by some coherent rationale, no matter how one-sided and brutal. The seedy underbelly of Japanese society is perhaps so successfully portrayed because so little has been embellished. Soon all four friends know about the murder, and they all band together to conceal it from the authorities.

The complex yet riveting narrative seamlessly combines a convincing glimpse into the grimy world of Japan’s yakuza with a brilliant portrayal of the psychology of a violent crime and the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse between seasoned detectives and a group of determined but inexperienced criminals. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection, 2016, etc. Four women working on the graveyard shift in a food packaging factory in a decrepit suburb of the metropolis. Having read the novel, I came to Out with certain preconceptions, and was deeply disappointed by this rendering of Kirino's work.The plot builds from two directions: the police are suspicious and start nosing around, and the Japanese underworld, the mafia-like yakuzas, take an interest and offer the women, shall we say, additional business opportunities. Burdened with heavy debts, alienated from husbands and children, they all secretly dream of a way out of their dead-end lives. Perhaps it reflected some kind of "Japanese sensibility;" if so, then I'm unable to identify what that may be.

She has apparently been successful in reaching readers emotionally; for example Kirino was approached by a woman who thanked her for the liberation she felt after reading Out. Four women who work the night shift in a Tokyo factory that produces boxed lunches find their lives twisted beyond repair in this grimly compelling crime novel, which won Japan's top mystery award, the Grand Prix, for its already heralded author, now making her first appearance in English. Al tener 500 páginas la lectura es más lenta que un thriller convencional, pero es un retrato costumbrista y no exento de humor - también con un toque gore - que a mí me ha resultado muy interesante. I felt sorry for the women, especially Yoshie who had a disabled mother-in-law, 2 ungrateful daughters, a dead husband, no money, a crappy job and a teeny tiny house to take care of them in. Japan's Government Medals of Honor (Japan) for distinguished performances and contributions to society.

I also like how it’s written from different perspectives, it gives a little insight into their mind and past experience. The group all work the nightshift at a bentō lunch factory, standing on the production line for several hours at a time, doing mindless tasks over and over. Why does Kirino present the climactic confrontation between Masako and Satake from both their points of view? Cuando un día Yayoi se presente en la fábrica con un "gran problema" entre manos, las otras tres no dudaran en ayudarla, aunque no todas lo harán desinterasadamente . Now, I don't know if the author is to blame for this, but the translator definitely is, and CERTAINLY the asshole who "edited" this.