Now for another crime thriller. The book is Out and it is Natsuo Kirino's gory story about four ordinary Japanese women and their link to a horrid murder. This is one of those books that really won over its readers, as can be seen from the fact that it was quickly adapted into a movie. Funnily enough, I don't think the movie did that well.

The story is dark and gory and definitely not for everyone. The four characters at the center of the plot are Japanese women from various walks of life. Each of them come from different backgrounds and seem to represent the different types of women out there – the single mom, the newly dumped young woman with bad debt, the bitter middle aged woman and the unhappy woman with an abusive husband. What's their common link? They all work in a dull factory setting and are caught up in this humdrum little life. Until one of them kills off her husband after a really bad fight. Now, all four get together and hide the body. After chopping it up and whatnot. Unfortunately, it looks like the authorities might track them down. As the stress level increases, the women start turning on one another ….

I must say, it is interesting to find a novel which has flawed characters. The good vs. evil inner conflict is a concept covered in way too many books, one that tends to influence the creation of a more rounded character. Not in the case of this book. Here, the author creates a group of characters who are more interesting because of their warped personalities. Actually, in an way, their personalities are altered and changed as they make decisions regarding this murder. How very weird and disturbing.