Out, by Natsuo Kirino

Out, by Natsuo Kirino, is a thriller that follows four women working the night shift at a boxed-lunch factory in Tokyo.

Their lives take a brutal turn when one of them kills her abusive husband. What begins as an act of self-defence spirals into further violence, survival and betrayal. With raw realism and sharp psychological depth, the novel explores the suffocating lives of women on the margins of society.

This cover proposal captures that pivotal moment: The imagery not only evokes their work in the factory, but also the cold precision with which they dispose of the body. This is a stark reflection of the resigned resilience that shapes their everyday lives.

• Photography, digital collage
• 2017