From Katy Munger's mystery reviews in today's Washington Post
Book World:
One of the mystery genre's most annoying pretensions is the
current notion that extreme violence is somehow
groundbreaking or, even worse, feminist if a female author
depicts it. Such passages are usually either boring or
offensive -- unless they are presented as an integral part of
a character's psychological portrait (as is the case with
early Thomas Harris) or as a deliberate statement about
society as a whole.
Both of these motivations
appear to be at work in the case of Out, by Natsuo Kirino,
translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder
(Kodansha, $22.95). The book comes to the United States after
causing a stir in Japan, where Kirino's graphic description
of a body being dismembered and an audacious, sexually
violent ending shocked many readers. Americans may have the
same reaction. But if you can accept these passages, Out
offers an intriguing look at the darker sides of Japanese
society while smashing stereotypes about Japanese women. . .
. Out is not easy to read. The passages of violence, in
particular, are hampered by an abruptness that borders on the
choppy, probably caused by the complexity of translating from
the Japanese. But it is a fascinating tale nonetheless. Noir
fans will find themselves turning page after page in hopes of
discovering that at least some of the women survive.
Has anyone read this book? It sounds intriguing.
Does anyone have any comments about Munger's initial
statement on the use of violence? As I wrote in another
recent post, I just saw Three Men to Kill. It was introduced
by the director of the AFI-Silver Theatre (damn, I love that
it moved in across the street from me). He ended his remarks
with a warning that some people find the violence in the
movie offputting, some even said it was gratuitous (although
he pretty clearly didn't think so). I found it mild. However,
that does raise an interesting question about the different
uses of violence, especially in a medium like ours that so
often makes use of, even depends upon it.
Finally, Munger also gives a positive review of Greg Rucka's
new standalone, A Fistful of Rain. Has anyone read it?
The whole article is available at:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58867-2003Aug28.html
Mark
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