I have to say that this book is totally different from most books i have read previously. It's translated from it's Japanese text and gives an insight into the cultural and literal differences from Western culture to that of Asia. I wanted something different and I got it. The story itself is very dark and centres on a group of Japanese female factory workers who get drawn into murder and the covering up of the crime. All of the women have character flaws too which I think is excellent, although that makes it hard to route for any of them in the story. The descriptive brings to mind a lot of greys and black in a world of poverty in the Japanese suburbs but is ...  Read the complete review

It's a great read, with lots of twists and turns. A bit psycho towards the end though! Both male and female readers will enjoy it.

I've always been a fan of Japanese culture in every sense of the word, ever since i was a teenager, so it was no surprise that i would get into Japanese books too. I found this book tucked away almost secretively in a dusty corner of a charity shop. The book 'Out' by Natsuo Kirino who has been termed as a 'rare breed of crime writer' from Japan is so speculative of the human psyche, that at times it has frightened me of the depths that Kirino was prepared to explore in the book. The plot itself was quite bizarre, nothing i've ever experienced before, to put it mildly it was a cross between Agatha Christie and a gruesome Stephen King novel. Its based on four ...  Read the complete review

This book was recommended to me by a friend at work, and I was unsure, as I have never read Japanese fiction before, and it wasn't necessarily the kind of book I normally go for. However, since reading this, I have bought the author's other two books (only three have been translated into English), and I feel have broadened my literary horizons. The book follows a group of Japanese women working the night shift in a food-packing company, each with their own home and money problems, as they get drawn into a world of murder, secrets and the Japanese mafia. It is a fascinating tale, and provides a really interesting insight into Japanese culture. Occasionally a ...  Read the complete review