Audible Spinstering: Out

Yesterday on the treadmill, I finally finished listening to Natsuo Kirino's Out. I have to say, I think it may have been one of the most riveting books I've listened to in a while. There is murder, gambling, shopping addiction, gangsters, prostitution, loan sharking, and so much more. This is one of the only books I've read recently were women comprise most of the main characters, and they are doing big un-silly things.

I don't want to ruin too much about this book because I think you should read (or listen to) it. But I will say that the book starts with a group of female factory workers in Japan who are not glamorous or particularly outstanding when you first meet them. Oh, but the more you read, the more interesting they become.

One of the interesting aspects of this book, I thought, was the attention to the different and sometimes complex relationships the women have with each other, their families, acquaintances, and coworkers. Each woman has a different sort of family, and they also all have different relationships to each other. Because of this attention to nuanced interpersonal relationships instead of, say, physical interactions, There was a depth and texture to this story that you may not find in another sort of crime novel.

The performance of this audiobook is also notable. The narrator reads the dialogue with different voices and intonations. While some narrators do this distractingly, this reader executes her task in a way that makes it more engrossing.

Ok. I haven't ruined any of the story. So, I think you should go read or listen to it now. It is rather interesting.