“Sfiorò per la prima volta la pelle dell’uomo morto con la mano nuda: era talmente fredda che le venne un brivido. Chissà se sarebbe veramente riuscita a farlo a pezzi.”
And so I finally decided to start this section, mainly for two reasons: one, I love books (even if a more proper definition would be “book fetishist”); two, I want to offer you a mix of Japanese literature, cultural essays and significant books for my journey.
Here I start, then, with my first choice: Natsuo Kirino, “Out” (Italian translation sucks, sounding like “The four Tokyo Housewives”), an intense, almost brutal thriller set in Tokyo suburbs. Main characters are four women (Yaoyoi, Masako, Yoshie and Kuniko) who found themselves involved in a a brutal murder and subsequent dismemberment of Kenji, Yaoyoi’s husband.
The narration flows fast, while you can clearly fill the shivers along your spine; her descriptions are vivid, cruel, amazing. The storytelling is compelling, despite the over 600 pages (in the italian edition). It’s a book that will cause you discomfort, fear, somehow empathy.
Rich and thrilling, highly recommended for a different take on Tokyo everyday life.
