A review by aritrigupta
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

2.0

I have immense respect for Japanese literature, and for the writers. I hadn't read [a:Natsuo Kirino|14269|Natsuo Kirino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206555178p2/14269.jpg] before, but, with that blurb, I was expecting a dark, gritty thriller.
The author does explore complex themes through a rather spiteful narrator, with who, at times, you grudgingly agree with on her views. The impact of beauty on growing teenage girls is a very important and relevant topic that has been explored thoroughly here, and to some extent, it has been described truthfully. However, somehow in the midst of 500 pages the book lost its way - it became needless journals of prostitutes and their love/hate for sex. It did actually become quite grotesque, and retained no other element to it.
I had high hopes from this book, despite its rating, and its malicious unnamed narrator. There was intrigue, mystery, and darkness in the beginning, and it dwindled down to a rather meh!