Welcome to Litsy!

Woah. That ending 😵‍💫😱

Four women work the night shift at a factory in Japan. They look out for each other, helping when someone's struggling, staying after work to socialize. Then one kills her abusive husband, and turns to the others for help, setting off a chain of events descending into the darker reaches of life in Tokyo.

Cont'd in comments

Really LOVED this novel more than expected. Although it was absolutely gruesome, it was crafted so beautifully it was easy to read. Usually with crime/mystery/horror genres, it often feels like the author adds so many twists and turns that it‘s almost overwhelming and takes away from the writing. This novel was so fluid and well thought out, but still managed to keep me on my toes. I have to say, i think it‘s my favorite Japanese novel 😱

So far a very intriguing and well written thriller. Characters are all dynamic and well developed. A long one! 18% in so far.

This one is definitely not for the faint of heart…that being said, wow, this is a fantastically dark, riveting story that will leave you turning pages in wonder & horror. A simmering rage lurks in the background of this story about a woman who has had enough & the aftermath of a fateful decision. And then, it somehow gets even darker. Translated from the Japanese this was a thrilling, unforgettable read. Not an easy read but it‘s really good.

More murder and mayhem from Japan for today‘s reading. For whatever reason, books in translation seem to be the sweet spot right now. This one is an award winner so I‘m anticipating a great read.

🩸 🔪 This book is brutal! Not for the squeamish!
1 woman kills her husband, 3 women cut up the body and get rid of it. And from there the fun and games begin. There were some great twists in this book. I loved it except for the ending. I had a huge issue with that! 🤮
Why hasn‘t this been made into a movie?

This was brilliant but brutal. Four women on a factory line agree to cover up a murder. But this step into the darker world will bring unforeseen consequences.
This is a literary crime novel so a lot of time is spent on fleshing out characters & their interactions and back stories - which i like. Youre also a little at arms length from the characters which i prefer in crime novels - you dont identify with them. There is a great sense of setting⬇️

Think Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larsson but female-authored in translated Japanese, with a cast of poor housewives working at a boxed lunch factory. It‘s very gruesome (several bodies get cut up, and there are descriptions of violent murders), yet very readable and page-turningly good 👇

#alphabetgame #letterO @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#womenintranslation
A book I don't see much but is incredible! A group of women who work together have to solve a problem. Set in industrial Japan.

I liked it. Some brutal violence. Interesting look at life in Japan. Not the shiny glossy Japan in the movies, but the gritty, day to day struggle of the working class. 4 friends who cover up a murder.

#julyjourneys #japan
One of the first books I think of when Japan comes up is this intense women driven thriller. So, so good.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

"She had the strange feeling she often got when she was coming down with a cold: that everything around her demanded her attention."

Wow, Kuniko's the first female cluster B protagonist I've ever read that I actually want to strangle.

"Though the sun had set, the heat and humidity lingered, as though the whole city were in a steam bath; the heat was trapped inside, as if building under the skin of a grimy, middle-aged man with clogged pores."
Today in odd similes.

"'I want to go home.' The moment the smell [of her workplace] hit her, the words came into her head. She didn't know exactly what home it was she wanted to go to, certainly not the one she'd just left. But why didn't she want to go back there? And where did she want to go? She felt lost."

Having just finished Madeleine Bourdouxhe's A Nail, A Rose, I can say that it was luminous and beautiful, but that now I have a powerful need to read something mean and nasty. Balance.

This novel took me so long to finish. It's tedious in some places and violent and grotesque in others (although there's only one book that's ever made me feel physically ill and this isn't it). What kept me from dropping it was the characters, none of whom are fully good or bad. I enjoy the way that new facets of the characters are revealed through the eyes of other characters. Not sure it was worth finishing, but I'm glad to be done.

Well, what can I say. Every gory scene you can think of, so many twists and bad decisions and miserable lives.
I‘m not sure I enjoyed it, but couldn‘t stop reading.
#booked2021 #translatedintoyourfirstlanguage

#weeklyforecast
Reading Out at the moment, probably won‘t finish today as it‘s intense and long.
Will read The Group next, The Prodigal Son is released Thursday and I feel the need to start The Puppet Show as a new series for me but much loved by @eanderson

#currentread
It‘s intense and very disturbing.

Eagerly awaiting the reopening of bookshops and book cafes, to once again peruse the shelves and lose an hour sniffing that lovely book smell. 🤣👃📚 #lisbon #bookshop #betrand Wishing I picked up Out - Kirino whilst I was there last time! Anyone read it?

I just love 🖤 everything in my #CreepyChristmas swap package!!! 🥰 thank you so much @guinsgirlreads !!!! 🎄 💀 ❄️ 🎅

Absolutely love the ⛄️ mug 😁 the ☠️ fingerless gloves, the 🎄 ornament, the 💀 candles, the 🍫 candy, the 🔖 and of course all the books 📚 😀

Thank you so much!!! 💕 such a great package 😊

Honourable mention: Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction

The plot summary makes it sound like a black comedy, but the very graphic descriptions of rape, necrophilia, and dismemberment soon put paid to that idea. But having said that, if you've got the stomach for it, it's a great, tense thriller which leaves you alternatively appalled by and rooting for the main character, Masako Katori.

#lunchandabook

Since the main characters work in a bento factory, I ordered a chicken curry bento for lunch

Making bento

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 128 #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookstagram

This book needs all the trigger warnings, but what an intense read. Incredible, dark, and a great way to end my reading slump

It has been three months since I read a book, but I started this last night and so far I'm enjoying it! While it's not the most comforting book to read since I'm sick right now, I'm enjoying it nonetheless. It's dark and brutal, and just what I want

Four work friends in Tokyo get enmeshed in crime after one commits a spontaneous murder. In this gritty novel, the characters are built while the plot steadily moves forward and becomes much more propulsive toward the end. It‘s dark and disturbing and overall terrific, though there‘s one component of a character arc right at the end that I found unacceptable. Thanks to @vivastory for putting this one on my radar.

“If one more door had closed behind her, she had no choice but to find a new one to open.”

“He‘d said fate was something that happened in spite of our best plans.”

Found this gem, strolling through a Barnes and Noble in 2011, not really looking for any specific. Ever since then, I read it at least once every year. ♥️ I love the author and read many more from Natsuo Kirino!

A nice guide to crime in Tokyo; here‘s the link:

https://crimereads.com/tokyo-crime-novels-the-storms-beneath-the-calm-surface/

How‘s this for a holiday reading spot ! We got upgraded to a suite with a living room & Christmas tree 😍🌲. And I‘m loving the book @batsy

Finally getting around to this one @batsy , I think it‘s 2 years now sinse I received this book from you ..... the time feels just right .. 👍🏻❤️ I‘m a little scared , but I like that too 😉I‘ll keep you posted

#countmeout #soaringscores
Not read, but definitely sounds interesting and a great cover.

I've been in a reading slump for months, but I finally finished this thriller. Four stars! It was not the most exciting storyline, but it was intriguing and had some solid scary bits.

Readers beware though, there are definitely some gruesome segments so just be prepared. 👍

Molto particolare, premetto essere il primo romanzo noir che leggo. Forse non sono una gran intenditrice a riguardo. Il finale mi ha letteralmente spiazzato, è veramente meraviglioso e complesso il tipo di rapporto raccontato dall'autrice, sia tra i personaggi stessi, che tra i personaggi e la loro quotidianità. Sono rimasta affiascinata e stupita dalla cultura giapponese così raccontata. Merita assolutamente la lettura!

#snacktime #24in48

Let's see if I can finish this book before the end of this #readathon. 😏

@24in48

1. Tagged book and Sarah‘s Legacy Shared: Book Two By Daisy Beiler Townsend

2. House Hufflepuff

3. Blackish

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

#cat #book #love

Perché una donna vuole sempre riuscire a sfiorare l'anima di un uomo. Non si può accontentare dell'aspetto esteriore! E l'anima che una donna vuole sfiorare è solo una, un'anima in armonia con la propria.

OMG what an amazing #HalloweenHorrorSwap package @Regi_C sent to me. 😁 Thank you so very very much!!! I've actually been wanting to read both of these. Meanwhile the rest of the goodies look amazing, and the decor will go awesome on my new bookshelves. Thank you thank you thank you! 😊😚

This was an intense and depressing Japanese thriller. So many trigger warnings! However, though it was messing with my mood, i still wanted to know what happened to the characters. I think it was overall a good and unique thriller.

Day 11 - #out #quotsyoct18