'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY
'Delicious' i-D Magazine
'Salivatingly well-written' RENA MATSUI
The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre 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 body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer", Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
Review
Wow! This is an absorbing read, which you need to invest time in to read.
Rika is a journalist who rarely cooks. Food is just food to her and her boyish figure. She becomes intrigued by Manako Kajii. Kajii is awaiting a retrial for the serial murders of men she befriended and then shortly after cooking for them, they died.
Rika manages to obtain a visit with Kajii in the Denention Centre. She is further intrigued by the prisoner and her recipes, which on Kajii instructions Rika begins to cook. From thereon there is no going back for Rika and we follow her down a rabbit hole of investigative journalism and her foray and obsession into food. She begins to gain weight through the rich foods she is cooking, all with butter.
I can't really do justice to the writing of this book in this review. It's beautifully written, even the long passages on food and the preparation are just mesmerising. This is why it takes time to read, it's not a book to be rushed through.
There are so many other strands to the book besides the main relationship between Rika and Kajii. Rika's friends are also drawn into the obsession and I just read on amazed at the outcomes of the storyline. I also became a little infatuated myself, willing Kajii not to be the serial killer everyone thinks she is.
Having been to Japan the book resonated with me, but it could be a little slow for some Western readers. This would be brilliant on the screen and I hope it makes it there.
I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is out on 29 February 2024.
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