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Out

by Natsuo Kirino
Out

  • Comment on this title
  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9781400078370
ISBN10: 1400078377



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From Powells.com

Must-Read Japanese Fiction Sale

Save 20% on the best modern fiction by Japanese authors, recommended by Powell's staff.


Staff Pick

I ventured into Out having gone on a detective murder mystery kick: the great Raymond Chandler, the invincible Dorothy L. Sayers... So it was no surprise that I next turned to Japan's queen of crime writing. Out is a can't-stop-reading, classy, well done, get-into-their-heads-type psychological you-know-whodunnit. Excellent translation, her first into English. I can't wait to read more by Kirino! Recommended By Adrienne C., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

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.

Review

"[A] grimly satisfying tale. Crime and Punishment meets A Simple Plan — yet in the end Kirino manages her banal heroines' descent into hell like no one you've ever read before." Kirkus Reviews

Review

"Brings the mystery thriller to new levels of intensity and realism....Out has great plot twists, vigor, and an ending that would make Hannibal Lecter smile." Library Journal (Starred Review)

Review

"In Snyder's smoothly unobtrusive translation, all of Kirino's characters are touching and believable....[T]he gritty realism of everyday existence in the underbelly of Japan's consumer society comes across with pungent force." Publishers Weekly

Review

"A masterful and psychologically astute novel." San Francisco Chronicle

Review

"The story is told in layers of complexity, at times with Rashomon deftness, with a view into personal lives and social dimensions that is both illuminating and unsettling — not unlike...the work of Patricia Highsmith." Los Angeles Times

Review

"[A] dark yet absorbing portrait....[A]s much a character study of disaffected housewives as a knuckle-clenching thriller. (Grade: B+)" Entertainment Weekly

Review

"Kirino's tale is so dark, so gruesome and so depressing, it left this reader reeling. No gritty urban American tale of violence can match the horror of Out." USA Today

Review

"At its best, Out has the force of a juicy tabloid scandal: we witness the insidious merging of desperation and violence....Out is a potent cocktail of urban blight, perverse feminism and vigilante justice." Katherine Wolff, The New York Times Book Review

Review

"Out is not easy to read....But it is a fascinating tale nonetheless. Noir fans will find themselves turning page after page in hopes of discovering that at least some of the women survive." The Washington Post Book World

Review

"Like Alfred Hitchcock and Patricia Highsmith, Kirino succeeds in making readers vaguely complicit in her characters' crimes....[A] gutsy, unflinching foray into the darkest, most dangerous recesses of the human soul." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Review

"Kirino...combines a strong plot with a canny description of contemporary Japanese mores and culture to make this an unforgettable work....This is a novel that will be shared, and discussed, for some time to come." BookReporter

Review

"Dark, seductive and occasionally brutal, Out explores the lower classes of Japanese society with a distinctive gallows humor." Book Magazine

Review

"A daring account of empowered Japanese women, and just too damn macabre to discount." Black Book

Review

"The gritty neighborhoods, factories, and warehouses of Tokyo provide a perfect backdrop for this bleak tale of women who are victims of circumstance and intent on self-preservation at all costs." Booklist

Review

"A brutally realistic picture of contemporary society....Spare, unsentimental." Newsweek

Review

"[A] truly multiculturally applicable novel, meaning one that will be understood anywhere in the world where there are loan sharks, illegal casinos, and middle-aged working-class women toiling like galley slaves on the night shift in grueling dead-end assembly-line jobs." Greg Tate, Village Voice

About the Author

Natsuo Kirino, born in 1951, quickly established a reputation in her own country as one of a rare breed of mystery writer whose work goes well beyond the conventional crime novel. This fact has been demonstrated by her winning not only Japan's top mystery award — for Out in 1998 — but one of its major literary awards — the Naoki Prize in 1999, for Soft Cheeks (to be published in English). Several of her books have also been turned into full-scale movies. The hugely successful Out is the first of her novels to appear in English.

Stephen Snyder, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is known for his excellent translations of contemporary Japanese fiction: among them, Ryu Murakami's Coin Locker Babies and Miri Yu's Gold Rush.


4 8

What Our Readers Are Saying

Share your thoughts on this title!
Average customer rating 4 (8 comments)

`
711peterhoffman , December 26, 2013 (view all comments by 711peterhoffman)
Out is a tense thriller about a group of friends who band together to dispose of a corpse and the subsequent fallout. Interesting plot twists and a compelling narrative keep the reader's interest and leaves you wanting more. This novel works on many levels. It is a solid crime thriller but also explores gender roles, cultural constraints and fracturing friendships and love lives. It is much more than just a fun read.

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barbara loutos , August 24, 2010 (view all comments by barbara loutos)
I found this book in a hotel library in Costa Rica. After reading the Larsson books I wanted another thriller that would also introduce me to a different culture. this book did that and more. It's an incredible story, jaw-dropping in fact. I've passed in on to a few of my friends who also appreciate the truly macabre.

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ehrrinkeenan , February 05, 2010 (view all comments by ehrrinkeenan)
I'm not quite sure how to rate this one. I thought it was well-written, and was distinctly Japanese (which I both like, and find to be just different in a way that I'm not sure how to verbalize, but made me wonder about what the national tone of American literature is). I also found it to be incredibly disturbing and just utterly brutal. We discussed this at one of my bookclubs, and lots of themes of class, cultural differences and prejudices, feminism, etc. came up. Great discussion book.

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Tracy , January 02, 2010 (view all comments by Tracy)
It sure is hard to decide which book was my favorite for the whole decade - but this one comes to mind. Gripping, compelling and impossible to put down.

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`
Melanie Haney , January 01, 2010
Powerful character who unflinchingly cuts up corpses and lives in a society that only appreciates young women. Completely original, unpredictable -- such a big book.

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`
Patrick Simpson , July 11, 2007 (view all comments by Patrick Simpson)
This is hard realism that will take you into the hard, marginal lives that millions of people in Japan lead every day. This is creepy sexuality that takes you places to which you would not voluntarily go. If you want happy Japan, read Banana's books because they're good too. If you want to step out of your comfort zone and walk in the shoes of people you probably did not think existed, try Out. Kirino, one of the most intelligent writers you'll ever read, will take you their with skill and artistry.

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queenofthewest , April 27, 2007 (view all comments by queenofthewest)
A grim, depressing crime story; characters with little hope in dirty, claustrophobic lives. This is one of the few books I could not finish. It is the only book that I have thrown away - I could not begin to wish this painful tale on anyone.

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Larry , August 31, 2006 (view all comments by Larry)
A well written, multi-layered mystery set in Tokyo. The well plotted story does a great job of bringing peripheral characters to the fore, only to push them back as new ones begin to play a central role. Very entertaining. Nominated for the Edgar Award.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9781400078370
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
01/04/2005
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Series info:
Vintage International
Pages:
400
Height:
.89IN
Width:
5.22IN
Thickness:
1.00
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
2003
UPC Code:
2801400078372
Translator:
Stephen Snyder
Author:
Natsuo Kirino

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List Price:$16.95
Sale, New Trade Paperback
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