Disturbing...but wow!

I'd never read any Japanese fiction before, until I picked up Out by Natsuo Kirino. Obviously translated because, my Japanese is, well, nonexistent.

Winner of Japan's Grand Prix for Crime Fiction and an Edgar Award finalist, this book is beyond intense. And really not for the squeamish. Also, make sure you've taken your Prozac, because it's also depressing as hell.

The book is about a japanese woman who works a menial-type, night-shift job in a bento box factory. In addition to having a crap job, she has a pretty crap life. Her son has quit speaking. Her husband is abusive. She leads a life of quiet desperation -- until she kills her husband. That's when Masako comes to life. Scary life. She enlists three female coworkers -- whose lives are equally depressing, but in different ways -- to help her dispose of the body. In a really gross way.

Then Masako discovers she's not half bad at the whole murder and dismemberment thing, and enlists her coworkers in several more crimes. But they are not the pliant subjects they seem and everything starts to spiral into violence, fear and suspense.

Sometimes translations aren't much fun to read. But this seems to be a top-notch one. The storytelling is taut and compelling. The dark, dark comedy comes through while remaining a harrowing read.

There are lots of levels to talk about with this book -- so if you're in a book club, it might be worth a selection. But for our purposes here, I'm just going to give it two thumbs up. And not because men are the targets of violence. Like I said -- men are just fine in my book...