note to start off: MAJOR tw for on page sexual assault and torture!!! it is very very graphic and there are multiple scenes 

definitely one of my favorites from this year! such a cool book. i am sort of ? on putting it in my favorites of 2022 list just because i didn't have that wow moment directly after finishing, but after reading more about the book and the way the crime genre has functioned as social criticism in japan, i appreciate it a lot more. (i did enjoy this book a lot more than real world, but after reading more about real world, i gained a new appreciation for it as well.)

kirino's descriptions of setting are incredibly lush!! such joys to read. there are very many ways to read this book, but the most interesting analysis i saw specifically looked at how kirino uses setting and the idea of 'home' (and the feeling of safety that is attached to it) to show how the main characters spend the book searching for a space that their work (domestic, factory, etc.) is not disregarded in. (this isn't just limited to the main four who are lower class women, 3/4 who are mothers / middle aged. through other characters, kirino also looks at racism, capitalism, and fetishization in japan.) there are obviously very very many aspects to this and i'm not summarizing very well! such a cool read :o left me with SO many things to think about. i'd talk about it more, but i think i can go on for a long time now.