Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 Breathtakingly horrible! September 27, 2008
Set in a bleak urban landscape peopled by loansharks and yakuza, deranged men, and lonely, impoverished women, this novel - short on description and full of desperation, greed and hatred - had to be persuasive and brilliantly written to stand a chance. And I just loved it. It utterly gripped me, from start to finish. It's the product of a sharp intelligence, and bitterness fuelled by the lot of Japanese women. Cleverly plotted, it manages with ease the complex web of interconnections between the characters, and the almost-incredible story did convince me. (Although now and again I had to sit back and laugh at the daring of it: what would Masako's 17-year-old son have thought if he came home early to find his mother cutting up a corpse in the bathroom? Yes: the flashes of humour are very black indeed, but they do help to ease the sense of horror.)
For such a dark and disturbing novel, it's very accessible, and credit is due to the translator, who did an astonishingly good job. It reads throughout like an original text - the mark of an expert. In Kirino's writing, nothing is ever wasted or superfluous, and she's good at cranking up the tension. The final third is as suspenseful as anything I've ever read, and the climax is electrifying, and about as uncliched as you can get. To say this is a psychologically powerful novel is a bit of an understatement. I've never read anything quite like it. I have a feeling, though, that it's one of those rare masterpieces that is best read just once. Not for the faint-hearted, or those who cannot imagine finding a plot centred on human dismemberment remotely enjoyable!
Out August 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Out is a really good read. I picked it up on a special offer and didn't get around to reading it for quite a while, but once I did I was hooked. Natsuo Kirino has a real knack for making you turn the page. I'd be interested to see more books by this author.
 Good read, disappointing ending July 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you enjoy japanese fiction or crime novels you'll enjoy this. It has a very good plot and good characters. Don't be put off by the names, you get used to them surprisingly quickly. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, but thought the ending was a bit weak.
Amazing July 21, 2008
This a really good book where the author has created interesting and complex charachters. The plot is original, and the authers style is unique. highly reccommended
Great book July 14, 2008
I got this cos it was on sale at amazon and it was fantastic.
Very different than i usually read and easy to follow.
Not a must-read but was good all the same.
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