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A review by savvylit
Out by Natsuo Kirino
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Out is a multilayered thriller with unlikeable characters hiding around every seedy corner. Each character in this novel is problematic - some extremely so and others only somewhat. Despite their bad decision-making, I found myself consistently rooting for three of the four main female characters of Yayoi, Masako, and Yoshie. I was incredibly impressed by how Kirino excelled at portraying the dark side of humanity and how seemingly ordinary people do awful things out of pure desperation. Firmly an anti-capitalist book, the disturbing acts in Out are almost all entirely motivated by the need for money to survive. Kirino deftly captured all the myriad ways that money can dictate the lives of people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances.
Overall, Out was an incredibly enjoyable thriller that captivated my interest from the first section. This book was violent, gory, and disturbing; but it all seemed to be leading towards fascinating points about desperation and solidarity. I absolutely loved it! ...Until the final section, titled "Exit." In that section, there is an excruciatingly violent scene that readers are forced to experience not once, but twice. The only word that I can think of to describe that scene is 'gratuitous.' Not only that, but one of the main characters thinks, says, and does some surprising and heinous things. There's a bit of a twist in her entire outlook that surprised me in a terrible and disappointing way. I think that the majority of Out could have been considered feminist until Exit, when readers become deeply immersed in an entirely anti-feminist conclusion.
I read this book as part of @occuhazard.bookclub.
Overall, Out was an incredibly enjoyable thriller that captivated my interest from the first section. This book was violent, gory, and disturbing; but it all seemed to be leading towards fascinating points about desperation and solidarity. I absolutely loved it! ...Until the final section, titled "Exit." In that section, there is an excruciatingly violent scene that readers are forced to experience not once, but twice. The only word that I can think of to describe that scene is 'gratuitous.' Not only that, but one of the main characters thinks, says, and does some surprising and heinous things. There's a bit of a twist in her entire outlook that surprised me in a terrible and disappointing way. I think that the majority of Out could have been considered feminist until Exit, when readers become deeply immersed in an entirely anti-feminist conclusion.
I read this book as part of @occuhazard.bookclub.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Gore, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Blood, Stalking, and Toxic relationship