Butter

A Novel of Food and Murder

Hardcover, 464 pages

English language

Published April 16, 2024 by HarperCollins Publishers.

ISBN:
978-0-06-323640-0
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

3 stars (1 review)

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her …

4 editions

Saturated storytelling

3 stars

Butter seems to be the hit novel of 2024 in English, although it was published over a decade ago in Japan. Asako Yuzuki's story centres on Rika and her relationships with the world around her, particularly with her friend Reiko and with a convicted serial killer Manako Kajii who she wants an exclusive interview with. It also knits in food and feminism, with a focus on fatty golden butter and the immediate joy is brings to a life.

The book is episodic, and each chapter feels like another story arc from beginning to end. Some are brilliant, engaging and fully alive; some are less so, but every one has something to tell. The treatment of women in society is a central focus, and finding oneself within that is paramount to Rika's (and Reiko's) story. The ending tidies itself up into much too neat of a bow, and some of the …