Out

This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot's ringleader, but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning, leading to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society. At once a masterpiece of literary suspense and black comedy of gender warfare, Out is also a moving evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds, and the friendships that bolster them in the aftermath.