Natsuo Kirino doesn't just write crime. She transports us to urban Japan where four working class women face off against a crime boss and a loan shark.
“Out” is a great read. The title confused me, but I have some theories. Out of what? Out of time – we feel a sense of time running out throughout the story. It's very intense. Out of options – we feel doors close behind Masako and her friends with every decision they make. Out of the mundane – The boring lives of three hard-working women who are used to being taken for granted by their families will never seem boring again.
We have seven beautifully drawn central characters and many more whose stories seemed like they would be important but who withdrew from the action before I wanted them to. Helping a friend in distress three factory workers do something unthinkable and in the process wreck the life of a crime boss. This crime boss already harbours a secret desire, enacted once with a woman whose name he's long forgotten but whose face he never will. As he loses the empire he built he feels that dark desire rise again with a new focus. He wants to kill, and at least one of the four friends will be fighting for her life before the end of the book.
“Out” isn't crime in the sense of a murder mystery, we know who did what from early on, it's more about the life changing consequences of certain actions and a social commentary about working class women's experiences in Japan. With strong elements of horror it's an intense and highly satisfying read. One I would recommend you try.
5/5 stars.
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