This shocking thriller, and Edgar Award-nominee, is a dynamic example of the work of a new breed of Asian women writers excelling in smart, hard-nosed, well-written, and realistically plotted mystery novels.
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This shocking thriller, and Edgar Award-nominee, is a dynamic example of the work of a new breed of Asian women writers excelling in smart, hard-nosed, well-written, and realistically plotted mystery novels.
Read Less
Add this copy of Out to cart. $8.20, very good condition, Sold by HIstoryMysteryBookshop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Concord, NH, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. Jacket protected in mylar, small tera to rear jacket edge, wear and rubbing to edges of book, no marks. Includes sewn in red book mark ribbon. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 359 p. Audience: General/trade. OUT was awarded the Grand Prix of the Mystery Writers of Japan in 1997-the Asian equivalent of an Edgar. The story-though a bare summary makes it seem merely brutal and bloodthirsty, when it is much more than that-focuses on four women who work together in a lunch-box factory in the suburbs of Tokyo. One of them suffers from spouse abuse and, unable to take it any longer, murders her husband and appeals to her co-workers to help her dispose of the corpse. One of these friends---the brain behind the coverup-after cutting up the body in the bathroom of her house, has the other two dump it as garbage. The money from the man's life insurance is then divided among them. But this is only the beginning. The successful, unpremeditated crime and the rewards it brings are the seed of other, premeditated schemes, escalating from one localized use of violence to a rash of similar deeds, with unpredictable outcomes for the women behind them. As a study in the psychology of domestic repression and the dynamics of violent crime, OUT works on several levels, gripping the reader from its smoldering beginning to the fireburst of its finale. In hardcover in its original language it sold over 300, 000 copies, and a movie version will have its premiere in Tokyo at the end of 2002, with international distribution under discussion.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $9.52, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha USA.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Out to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by Northshire Bookstore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Manchester Center, VT, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $20.00, very good condition, Sold by Grendel Books, ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Springfield, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha International,.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 4770029055. Translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. Fifth American printing. Light foxing on top edge, else near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Sewn-in ribbon bookmark.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $40.01, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha USA.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $69.15, Sold by Treasure Island rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $76.56, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Kodansha Amer Inc.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $95.48, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha USA.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $97.83, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha USA.
Add this copy of Out to cart. $666.67, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Industries of S.W.FL. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fort Myers, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Kodansha USA.
Kirino deftly juggles a cast of amazing, full-bodied characters in this rich, dark and brutal crime thriller. It's a pleasure watching the interlocking plot lines snap together to form an suspenseful, emotional wallop.
Four women are friends working at a boxed lunch factory in a Tokyo suburb. When one of them murders her abusive husband, the other three end up helping in the cover-up and disposal of the body.
Even the best-laid plans, though this was anything but planned, can go awry....and boy do they ever!
Complications beget complications to the point of becoming gut-wrenching.
My stomach was in knots with anticipation as to what might happen next.
I was not disappointed. This is one shock-inducing, highly-involving crime story.
I will be seeking out Ms. Kirino's other works.
MartinHughHarvey
Sep 10, 2009
Different
What else should one expect from a Japanese author? Thoroughly enjoyable, story that continually builds, and with an ending that while wasn't a big bang or crescendo was thoroughly satisfying. I read this as I'd heard good reviews of this author and it certainly won't be my last Kirino book.
Oh and the translation was superb - beautifully written English that certainly couldn't have just been a rote translation.
Xie46
Aug 10, 2008
Roller coaster ride
This is a crime novel with a difference. It is ages since I read a crime novel that I either could not predict to a greater or lesser extent, or cared about the characters so much! For me it worked on more than one level. It is a great story, but there are other themes in there that were interesting, political and feminist (but if you don't like politics that should not put you off, it works as a story). I thought it was really good and original. Give it a go, I hope you wont be disappointed.
Angelimar
Jul 15, 2008
Incredible
At the begining of the book I thought OMG what am I reading I dont like this type of books, but I force my self to read and in the middle a couldnt stop, its very interesting different and well thought, you'll never guess the ending.
bookgeek
Apr 3, 2007
Gory, Strange, and Very Interesting
If you think the women on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES are out there, wait until you read this book. Although there is hardly any sex, there is plenty of dark, strange plot twists.
Natsuo Kirino's OUT is a startling look at the fictional lives of ordinary Japanese women working in a boxed lunch factory. The women get caught up in a murder, and must find a way to dispose of the body in order to protect themselves and their families. This is not a book for the faint of heart, or for anyone with a weak stomach. Filled with blood, gore, and psychotic mafia men, this is an intense, gripping portrait of desperation.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The characters were fairly well developed, the plot was interesting, and it was well-translated. My biggest problem was that the suspense built and built over the course of the book, but the climax wasn't very rewarding. The ending of the book was anti-climatic, and I felt a little cheated at the end.
I'd recommend this book to people who enjoyed such films as THE AUDITION, SIN CITY, and KILL BILL. The book was very hard for me to put down, and I stayed up til 4 in the morning one night just to finish it.
If you are a fan of the dark side of Japan, you will love this book.
