Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Out by Natsuo Kirino

16 reviews

rinnavv's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

jan_coco_day's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

When I read Japanese literature, I somehow only pick the most quaint, cozy stories...or the most fucked up shit I've ever seen. This book is the latter. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gore, Torture, Blood, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexism

reading_for_the_dopamine's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I agree that the best way to describe the book "Out" by Natsuo Kirino is "feminist noir."

 I read "Out" as part of a reading challenge with the prompt "A thriller or crime novel in translation." This book is outside my comfort zone, as I primarily read romance. However, reading it has inspired me to read more dark mysteries and thrillers. 

The author, Natsuo Kirino, is a Japanese novelist who started writing romance. However, she has been criticised for now writing crime novels with strong female protagonists. As a feminist romance reader, I found her emphasis on women, relationships, and psychology to be the most engaging elements. From the start, Kirino drew me in with her compelling portrayal of four ordinary, flawed, yet resilient women navigating the challenges of disenfranchised underclass women in Tokyo. Each woman's voice was distinct and benefited from Kirino's choice of multiple narratives. Despite these women being morally grey, I celebrated their efforts to support each other, even in particularly gruesome ways. 

This book was less compelling from the mid-section when the secondary male characters were introduced in the middle. These men, perhaps deliberately on Kirino's part, contrastingly feel flat and one-dimensional. The men's perspective slowed the pace and shifted me from the intense world she created. This may not be the experience of other readers who respond to the very explicit horror scenes that then occur. I appreciated that while the violence was frequent and described in explicit detail, it did not feel gratuitous. I enjoyed how Kirino wove the multiple characters' inner world perspectives around the plot's events. Startlingly, this approach reminded me of the plots for a favourite movie, "Love Actually." I would have liked this aspect of her writing to continue to the end.

Overall, I have likely underestimated the rating of this book. I would recommend this book, no matter what genre of books you usually read. It will appeal to readers who like books that focus on the psychological aspects of intense, gritty women and the intersectionality of the damage of patriarchal oppression.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Gore, Domestic abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence

mondovertigo's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Blood, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Toxic relationship, Rape, Torture, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Trafficking

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

poubelleboi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Beh, che dire. “Le quattro casalinghe di Tokyo” non si fa mettere giù. Mentre non lo leggevo fantasticavo di starlo leggendo e mentre lo leggevo non volevo smettere. Direi che quello che mi ha tenuto attaccato è stata la facilità con cui ci si può rispecchiare nei personaggi principali, le quattro casalinghe. Sono persone tutto sommato regolari con problemi che molti hanno ma all’improvviso vengono risucchiate in una situazione assolutamente straordinaria che mi ha fatto chiedere cosa farei io al loro posto. E poi è anche semplicemente intrattenente.

Il finale… è strano. Non capisco le motivazioni di Masako per aver improvvisamente cambiato opinione e sentimenti su Satake. La mia interpretazione è che si è accorta che entrambi cercavano la libertà e si è sentita vicina a lui per questo. Ma pensavo che la libertà cercata da Masako fosse la libertà di vivere la sua vita lasciandosi alle spalle una famiglia di cui non si sentiva più parte, che mi sembra ben diversa dalla libertà di Satake di possedere e uccidere donne. A meno che Masako non anelasse a una libertà dalla morale, che potrebbe anche essere, considerato che ha preso al volo la prima occasione per fare qualcosa di illegale. Non so, opinioni?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Stalking, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Abandonment, Xenophobia, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury

a1exander's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Infidelity

Minor: Vomit, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

beetaire's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A long read but intense and gripping story. Really loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Stalking and Domestic abuse

sakisreads's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I’ve never put ‘It’s complicated’ to all of those questions above before 😂
In every turn of this book though, that’s how it feels. Masako, the ringleader, clearly goes through so many different phases and although there’s a real change in her character and a confidence that comes forth, it never felt easy to label. I suppose that is what makes it such a gripping read, is that every single character has their flaws and nothing is ever binary (good or bad) 😳

I actually really appreciated Kazuo and his struggle of ‘not assimilating’; I think Japanese society has a very big problem with ‘othering’ and that was very evident.

The descriptions in this book are VERY gory so if you feel a bit squeamish about blood etc., this one might not be for you 🥺 I’ll put content warnings below!

4 out of 5 stars from me! I was hooked until the very end! The end itself I was a bit disappointed by, but I still enjoyed the book in general ✨ Thank you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood

perkyanda's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This one was hard to rate because I really loved a lot of it…And then it went off the rails and had

this horrible weird ending that didn’t seem to fit with the whole beginning part of examining female interpersonal relationships and what can drive normal people to commit gruesome crimes. Like sexual Siam was a smaller theme earlier so I guess it’s not shocking that’s where it went, we saw it in multiple characters early on, I wasn’t expecting it to be the denouement.||

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Excrement, Gore, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Dementia, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexual content

yungblonde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Gore, Blood, Body horror, and Torture

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Cursing, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit