Out (novel)
Encyclopedia
is a crime novel
written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino
. It is her first novel to be published in the English language. The book is currently published by Vintage, part of Random House
, in Britain and has been translated into English by Stephen Snyder.
A Japanese film adaptation of Out
, directed by Hirayama Hideyuki
, was released in 2002 to generally tepid reviews. According to Variety (on-line edition), New Line Cinema
has purchased the rights for an American version, to be directed by Nakata Hideo
(Ring
, Ring 2
).
at a Japanese bento
factory. All four women live hard lives. Masako, accepted as the leader of the four women, feels completely alienated from her estranged husband and teenage son. Kuniko, a plump and rather vain girl, has recently been ditched by her boyfriend after the couple were driven into debt leaving Kuniko to fend off a loan shark
. Yoshie is a single mother and reluctant caretaker of her mother-in-law, who was left partly paralyzed after a stroke
. Yayoi is a thirty-four-year old mother of two small boys. She hates to leave her children home alone to go to work. More than that, she hates the thought of her drunken, gambling
husband returning home and hurting them or, more likely, herself.
Returning home one night, Yayoi discovers her husband has gambled away all their savings and loses control of her temper. She strangles him to death.
She desperately persuades Masako, who eventually gets Yoshie and Kuniko involved, to help her dispose of the body. The body is dismembered, secured in many black bin-liners and hidden all over Tokyo
. It is isn't long before one carelessly hidden bag is discovered and the police begin to ask questions. As if things weren't bad enough, the women begin to blackmail
each other, a loanshark is requiring their services and a criminal who has lost everything because of their antics has begun to hunt the women down.
The way out is not easy and it is certainly not pretty, and the women soon have to pay the price.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino
Natsuo Kirino
is a Japanese novelist and a leading figure in the recent boom of female writers of Japanese detective fiction.-Biography:A prolific writer, she is most famous for her 1997 novel, Out, which received the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan's top mystery award, and was a finalist for the 2004...
. It is her first novel to be published in the English language. The book is currently published by Vintage, part of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, in Britain and has been translated into English by Stephen Snyder.
A Japanese film adaptation of Out
Out (2002 film)
Out is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Hideyuki Hirayama. It was Japan's submission to the 75th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-See also:*Cinema of Japan...
, directed by Hirayama Hideyuki
Hideyuki Hirayama
is a Japanese film director. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for The Games Teachers Play in 1992. He was given a Best Director award at the 2003 Yokohama Film Festival...
, was released in 2002 to generally tepid reviews. According to Variety (on-line edition), New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
has purchased the rights for an American version, to be directed by Nakata Hideo
Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker.-Life and career:Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring , Ring 2 and Dark Water...
(Ring
Ring (film)
is a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kōji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ōtaka as members of a divorced family...
, Ring 2
Ring 2
, directed by Hideo Nakata, is the sequel to the Japanese horror film, Ring.Ring was originally a novel written by Koji Suzuki; its sequel, Rasen , was also adapted into a movie as the Ring movie's sequel...
).
Plot summary
The novel tells the tales of four women, working the graveyard shiftGraveyard shift
A graveyard shift means a shift of work running through the early hours of the morning, especially one from midnight until 8 am. See shift work.Graveyard shift may also refer to:In movies, television, and video games:...
at a Japanese bento
Bento
is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
factory. All four women live hard lives. Masako, accepted as the leader of the four women, feels completely alienated from her estranged husband and teenage son. Kuniko, a plump and rather vain girl, has recently been ditched by her boyfriend after the couple were driven into debt leaving Kuniko to fend off a loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
. Yoshie is a single mother and reluctant caretaker of her mother-in-law, who was left partly paralyzed after a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Yayoi is a thirty-four-year old mother of two small boys. She hates to leave her children home alone to go to work. More than that, she hates the thought of her drunken, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
husband returning home and hurting them or, more likely, herself.
Returning home one night, Yayoi discovers her husband has gambled away all their savings and loses control of her temper. She strangles him to death.
She desperately persuades Masako, who eventually gets Yoshie and Kuniko involved, to help her dispose of the body. The body is dismembered, secured in many black bin-liners and hidden all over Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It is isn't long before one carelessly hidden bag is discovered and the police begin to ask questions. As if things weren't bad enough, the women begin to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
each other, a loanshark is requiring their services and a criminal who has lost everything because of their antics has begun to hunt the women down.
The way out is not easy and it is certainly not pretty, and the women soon have to pay the price.