Grotesque - Tapa blanda

"[D]elves so deep beyond its own shock horror premise that much contemporary crime fiction looks like cheap, exploitative rubbish by comparison ....an utterly absorbing novel that gives as vivid - and disturbing - a picture of contemporary Japan as you could imagine" (Jonathan Gibbs Metro)

"Suicide, paedophilia, incest and murder combine with subtle touches of humour to form a story that will leave you questioning your own morality'" (Sarah Fakray Dazed and Confused)

"This is a rich, complex read. Be prepared for a book utterly unlike anything we are used to in crime fiction: a long, densely written work that resembles a Russian novel more than anything else. The Hirata sisters are not-too-distant cousins of the Brothers Karamazov" (Jane Jakeman Independent)

"[Grotesque] is only Kirino's second translated novel, but it already seems obvious that she may be the best crime writer to emerge from Japan in years" (Christopher Fowler Independent on Sunday)

"It is one of the most unexpected and playful novels to emerge from Japan in recent years... Grotesque is not so much a crime novel as a brilliant, subversive character study...a triumph. In its boldness and originality, it broadens our sense of what modern Japanese fiction can be" (Benjamin Secher Telegraph)

Two prostitutes have been murdered in Tokyo.

Yuriko had been working as a prostitute all her adult life, starting while still at school, where her stunning beauty compensated for what she lacked in intellect and commanded attention from older men.

Kazue worked for a blue-chip company and had good career prospects, but was unpopular with colleagues and felt isolated. She chose to walk the streets at night where she hoped to get noticed.

Twenty years previously both women were educated at an elite school for young ladies, and both exhibited exceptional promise prior to their brutal, unnecessary deaths. How and why did this tragedy occur? With narration from Yuriko's embittered, unattractive sister and through the girls' journals and diaries Kirino allows their shocking story to unfurl.

As with Out, Grotesque gets under the skin, and Kirino's analysis of the female psyche grips the reader. The extreme need to succeed, and the vicious desire to be accepted in the bewildering environment of modern life is explored here with acute and chilling insight. Grotesque is a masterful and haunting achievement.