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Grotesque (Paperback)

by Natsuo Kirino (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Feb 12 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400096596
ISBN-13: 978-1400096596
Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 341 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #14,670 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#65 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Psychological & Suspense

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Readers with a taste for ambiguity and oddball characters will enjoy this twisted novel of suspense from Japanese author Kirino (Out). The Apartment Serial Murders case, which involved the brutal killings of two Tokyo prostitutes, has gripped the country, leading to the arrest of a Chinese immigrant, Zhang Zhe-zhong, for the crimes. Strangely, Zhang freely admits to murdering the first victim, Yuriko Hirata, but denies the near-identical slaying 10 months later of Kazue Sato. The events leading to the killings are related from a variety of perspectives—that of Yuriko's unnamed older sister, bitterly jealous of her sibling's good looks; of each victim; and of the accused. Unusual connections—for example, Kazue was a classmate of the older sister—cast doubt on the veracity of individual narrators. This mesmerizing tale of betrayal reveals some sobering truths about Japan's social hierarchy. 4-city author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Vengefully mesmerizing. . . . Kirino turns an unerring eye toward the vicious razors of the adolescent female mind.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“Kirino helps us aficionados of crime fiction imagine the kind of novels James M. Cain might have written if he had been a Japanese feminist. . . . Emotionally harrowing.”
—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air (NPR)

“A layered exploration of the human psyche, of the conflict inherent in need and desire, shame and humiliation. . . . A powerful study of people humbled at the altar of superficial values.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Kirino provides an energized thrill ride as she also examines the sometimes-stifling stranglehold of Japan’s social hierarchy, especially for women.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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4.0 out of 5 stars Fermentation and Decay, Aug 4 2007

By	Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Grotesque (Hardcover)

"Grotesque", first published in Japan in 2003, is the second of Natsuo Kirino's novels to be translated into English. Kirino is one of the leading lights of Japanese mystery writing - she has won both the Naoki and Edogawa Rampo Prizes, while the English translation for "Out" was nominated for the 2004 Edgar Award.

"Grotesque" is told largely by a thirty-nine year old office-worker, only ever identified as Miss Hirata. Her father was a Swiss national, her mother was Japanese and she had one younger sister called Yuriko. There were big differences between the two girls though : Yuriko was considered exceptionally beautiful, while our narrator was - apparently - widely considered unattractive. Where Yuriko, in time, gained entry to the prestigious Q High School for Young Women thanks to her beauty, her elder sister was admitted through hard work. While our narrator works in the Day Care Section of the Welfare Division, Yuriko was murdered two years before the book opens - having spent much of her life working as a prostitute.

Our narrator had a old classmate - Kazue Sato - who, barely a year later, died the same way as Yuriko. However, unlike Yuriko, Kazue had worked exceptionally hard through school, attended a prestigious university and was employed in high-ranking firm. She remained desperate for recognition and, frowning on marraige, worked as a prostitute in the evening. Within a year of Yuriko's death, Kazue was also dead - killed in very similar circumstances. Although one man has been charged with both murders - Zhang Zhe-zhing, an illegal Chinese immigrant - it's only Kazue's murder people are interested in.

The book isn't told entirely by Yuriko's sister : both Yuriko's and Kazue's voices are heard through their old journal entries. Even the man charged with the murders pleads his case, through his own statement to the court. While it's interesting to see the same events from a number of different points of view, the only characters I felt any sympathy for were Yuriko and Mitsuru - one of the book's supporting characters and another former classmate of Yuriko's sister. She, like Kazue, had worked very hard at school and went on to study medicine at Tokyo University. However, Mitsuru also had her troubles after completing her studies - like Yuriko, she had been manipulated by those who should have been protecting her. In Yuriko's case, this manipulation set her on a path that eventually led to her death. Mitsuru, on the other hand, went on to serve a six-year prison sentence. However, she survived and appeared to be the only character who properly came to terms with her past. Yuriko's sister, the narrator, proved to be a thoroughly dislikeable character. She had considered Yuriko a monster from childhood, and felt no sadness when her younger sister died. She had developed a malicious, spiteful streak throughout her teenage years - Kazue was a regular target at school - but this streak remained with her into adult life.

"Grotesque" is a very different book to "Out" and a little different to the standard novel - where four characters give their own version of events. (These versions, naturally, do occasionally, conflict). It's a dark book, and isn't always an easy read - though it is well worth reading.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Through the grotesque an understanding of the beautiful, Oct 12 2008

By	L. Ramsey - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Scientists study the brain through the experiences of the brain damaged. Natsuo Kirino looks to understand human behaviour by exploring actions of the emotionally damaged. Grotesque chronicles the lives of two prostitutes, Yuriko, the younger sister of the storys narrator and Kazeu, the narrators friend. Yuriko is gorgeous from birth and lives long enough to turn ugly. Kazue is born ugly and becomes uglier in the pursuit of beauty. Yuriko understands completely her effect on other people. Kazeu understand nothing of her effect on others. Both however, through their appearance and actions, become monsters. There is a fantastic depiction of life in a an elite girls school from the point of view of a girl who has earned the right to attend as opposed to others for whom attendance is a birth right. Grotesque provides powerful insights into Japanese culture as well as insights in the nature of mankind. Through a study of the grotesque, we can gain a better understanding of the beautiful.

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