i was excepting something with a bit more bite...

The audiobook edition of Butter spans over 17 hours, yet its narrative could have been condensed into a fraction of that time. The story feels weighed down by excessive filler content, and while its intended themes hold potential they are belabored to the point of being ham-fisted. The characters, particularly the protagonist Rika and her friend Reiko, are often made to behave moronically for seemingly no reason other than to create conflict, but these misunderstandings and instances of idiocy diminished the coherence of the narrative.

The novel revolves around Rika Machida, a journalist in her 30s with a very poor work/life balance. Seeking a hit story, Rika reaches out to Manako Kajii who is currently serving time in the Tokyo Detention Centre after being convicted of the serial murders of businessmen she allegedly lured with her cooking skills. Kaji refuses to see her until Rika, at the suggestion of her friend Reiko, takes a different approach. Rather than asking Kaji about the murders, she asks for her beef stew recipe.
As they interact, their exchanges focus more on food and Kaji’s ideas of ‘etiquette’ than murder, prompting not only a personal introspection for Rika but a culinary awakening. Rika’s newfound appetite results in her gaining weight, and we see how that affects the way she is seen by the people in her life. Her boyfriend, who is just as work-oriented as she is, critiques her for it, seeing it as a sign of her ‘letting herself go’, and believes that women should be especially careful of their appearance. Rika’s closest friend, Reiko, also, despite once being outspoken on matters of sexism, expresses ‘concern’ over Rika’s weight, but her remarks may have to do less with Rika’s body than Reiko feeling jealous of Rika’s fixation with Kaji. Inspired by true events, Asako Yuzuki's Butter explores themes of misogyny, obsession, beauty standards and culinary pleasures in contemporary Japan.

The cover and blurb for Butter are somewhat misleading, as the novel proves to be less unsettling than they suggest. While the book does feature vivid sensory descriptions, particularly regarding food—its preparation, aroma, and taste—Yuzuki’s storytelling relied too much on repetitive depictions of glistening lips and sweaty bodies to elicit discomfort. There was an intensity ascribed to these descriptions that made many scenes feel unintentionally over the top (i was reminded of the business card scene from American Psycho…but in Butter these instances lack the former’s self-awareness and are delivered seemingly with seriousness).
Butter aligns more closely with contemporary social critiques like Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, Diary of a Void, Breast & Eggs, Boy Parts, Ripe, The Glow, and Natural Beauty, books that explore themes of women challenging or questioning gender norms and navigating misogyny and beauty standards within various societal contexts.

Throughout Butter, every scene appears to reinforce these thematic points. It delves into the double standards around aging and the pressures faced by women to conform to traditional gender roles, especially within cultures with more conservative values. The novel extensively interrogates ideas surrounding femininity and the expectations placed upon women, particularly the impossible standards of the 'ideal' Japanese woman. While I appreciate narratives featuring diverse portrayals of female characters and exploring complex female friendships, Butter falls short in this regard.

Rika, the protagonist, comes across as painfully uninteresting and exists seemingly only to convey certain messages. Her experiences, such as gaining weight and rejecting societal pressures regarding relationships, feel didactic rather than authentic. Despite Yuzuki’s attempts to depict complexity and contradiction in her female characters, their behaviors often feel contrived and surface-level, emerging only to serve the narrative's thematic agenda. I wouldn't have minded as much if said themes had been explored in-depth, but I found the story's treatment and portrayal of misogyny somewhat superficial. There are several scenes in which Rika reflects on societal expectations regarding women's appearance and behavior (and comes to the conclusion that no, women should not have live their lives in accordance with what men find sexually attractive) and that show her professional integrity being questioned by a male colleague (who assumes that she couldn't possibly have a male friend and that she is exploiting said man to gain information for scoops). And the novel also touches upon the cultural expectations placed on married women to prioritize their husband's well-being, including taking care of household chores and cooking for him.. But I just wanted more, especially given the novel's 'run-time'. But Yuzuki never delves into the more insidious aspects of sexism and misogyny. If anything, I found her takes somewhat naive. For instance, portraying a woman who emerges unscathed after spending time with a dubious man who is certainly a creep and could have also been involved in a murder. The lack of consequences felt overly idealistic to me.

The supposed tension between Rika and Kaji, the central dynamic of the novel, lacked oomph. Kaji's influence on others, including Rika, feels unconvincing given her grating demeanor and, for all her portending to be an expert in culinary matters, her ‘hot takes’ weren’t all that hot. While Rika eventually sees through Kaji's facade, her prolonged influence on Rika's perspective on food and possibly life seems disproportionate to her actual impact. Kaji's character, at first presented in an enigmatic manner akin to Hannibal Lecter had neither the charisma nor depth necessary to maintain my interest.

If Butter had delved deeper into Rika’s experiences at her workplace and prioritized the development of her friendship with Reiko, perhaps I wouldn’t have felt so exasperated at this story. I found the narrative to be full of unnecessary dramatic moments (including Reiko impulsively playing detective to prove…something? What was going through her head? And then what…she just gives up like that?, Reiko is traumatized by her parents' open relationship and by the fact that her husband, like her father, also finds physical intimacy between spouses wrong—using her father’s words almost verbatim—Rika’s own trauma around her father’s death and cooking, the whole stuffed turkey thing at the end).
Several plot points are introduced that seem promising enough but ultimately lead nowhere. The characterization of Kaji remains shallow, failing to evolve beyond her initial portrayal, making me wonder to what extent Rika truly understood her ‘twisted’ psyche. The novel’s conclusion was jarringly cheesy, as Rika and the people around her advocate for self-acceptance (a trite "found family" trope is shoehorned for good measure), which felt contrived and lacking in depth.

Rika's inadequacies as a journalist are... noticeable. She’s a shit journalist. She claims to want to write an article on Kaji but her tactics to get Kaji to open up are incoherent (she does what Kaji wants her to do, but then asks very stupid questions or makes tone-deaf remarks—she tactlessly complains about her weight gain—that are bound to alienate someone as demanding and misanthropic as Kaji). Also, why didn’t it occur to Rika, like it did for Reiko, to find the man Kaji was staying with prior to her arrest?
The exploration of Kaji's family and past feels cursory, presenting a cliched portrait of a Daddy’s Girl without offering meaningful insight.

The narrative dangles several intriguing threads—such as the implication of a character's predatory tendencies and Kaji's alleged crimes—yet Yuzuki fails to follow these up satisfactorily. Despite being referred to as a serial killer, Kaji's actions and motivations receive only a surface-level examination and consequently Rika's view of Kaji is rather simplistic and her newfound understanding of her feels unearned (Kaji’s vices are emphasized throughout the narrative—her body too is described in a way that left much to be desired as if to emphasize just how ‘uncontrollable’ and defiant to norms she is— but then at the end we are meant to find her pathetic and kind of a victim—of her internalized misogyny, of the public’s gaze, of her need for male validation). Kaji's real life counterpart was also convicted on murder charges despite the lack of evidence, and Japan does have an incredibly high conviction rate...so why did not have Rika question whether Kaji deserved to be convicted? Or seen and spoken of a serial killer...? Kaji is antisocial, narcissistic, callous, manipulative and she doesn't seem to feel any remorse over the fact that she targeted/defrauded men…but then again their relationship seemed to me very much transactional…so why does Rika so readily accepts that Kaji is this 'serial killer'?

Overall, Butter fell short of delivering the darker, psychologically gripping narrative I had hoped for. Rika's journey towards uncovering the ‘truth’ feels aimless, and the murder aspect of the story is glossed over in favor of these overly dramatic moments that fail to provide a meaningful exploration of the novel’s thematic elements. I had expected the novel to explore Rika's (supposed) 'corruption', but it never happened (unless you count gaining weight and learning to love food again as 'bad'). As a result, her own anxiety and Reiko's concern about her growing too close to Kaji seemed somewhat uncalled for. Like, chill. Not like Kaji is urging Rika to kill men. To give the author the benefit of the doubt, one could argue that she deliberately crafted a narrative of smoke and mirrors, teasing depths and thrills without fully delivering on them.

I just was hoping for something darker, something more on the lines of a psychological cat-and-mouse game. Maybe on the lines of The Silence of the Lambs, or something in the realms of Barbara Vine or even My Sister, the Serial Killer. And, sure, maybe I thought that this book would deal with, shall we say, more monstrous appetites (i do love a cannibal story).

Was this novel terrible? No. Was it frustrating? Sure. But, as I said before, it was so annoying as to be almost amusing. The type of book that makes you want to rant to someone about how unbelievably stupid the characters are or how ridiculous the story is.

I wanted to genuinely like this novel as I am fond of the woman-being-weird-about-another-woman subgenre, but Butter missed the mark. Yuzuki's attempt to balance seriousness, realism, and drama didn't quite coalesce into something cohesive, resulting in a narrative that tone-wise felt very uneven. Even her exploration of misogyny, though earnest, lacked depth and wasn't all that thought-provoking. There seemed to be potential in delving deeper into Reiko's experiences as a stay-at-home wife, but her perspective only receives brief attention towards the end of the novel. Similarly, the portrayal of Rika's challenges in a male-dominated industry could have been more compelling, especially considering the doubts cast upon her professional abilities (then again she is a shite journalist so...).

I've read plenty of books that tackle the themes this novel sets out but fails to explore them deeply. And if I were to view it as a slice-of-life narrative about the experiences of women in the workplace, in marriage, and so on, Butter wasn't as compelling as most female-centered dramas out there.

If this novel is on your radar, I recommend you check out more positive reviews or give it a try. Who knows, you might find something in it that resonates with you in a way that it didn't for me.

Also, credit goes to the narrator of the audiobook, Hanako Footman. I really enjoyed her performance and I doubt I would have managed to finish this book if not for her narration.

'Butter' offers a unique blend of culinary intrigue and psychological depth, weaving together themes of misogyny, obsession, and the power of food in unexpected ways. While the exploration of these themes is intriguing, the narrative occasionally loses its focus, leaving some aspects feeling underdeveloped. However, the dynamic between the two main characters, Rika and Kajii, is compelling, offering a nuanced examination of their complex relationship. Overall, 'Butter' serves up a thought-provoking read that will leave readers pondering its themes long after the final page.

📚Butter by Asako Yuzuki

Butter is as slippery as its namesake. I never quite knew where I was with this novel, translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton who is one of my favourite translators, I don’t speak Japanese but I think she does such a fantastic job of making you feel as though you’re reading in the cadences of that language. The overarching story of Butter is meant to be based on a real life serial killer and in the novel this is manado Kajii who has been accused of murdering her lovers through her delicious home cooking and the young, quite literally hungry journalist Rika who sets out to be the first to write her story.

This however is not a novel about the murder of men; it is a novel about women and their hungers. So much of the fascination of the novel lies in the discussions of pressures that women in Japan face. It’s not a culture that I’ve experienced much of and I somewhat naively believed that the petiteness of Japanese women was genetic but the author is at pains to show how much of it is conditioned and how food - or the lack thereof - is the most important thing in most women’s lives. Each of the characters has a hunger, for friendship, success, independence and love and their intersecting stories make this a novel that sits with you long after you’ve finished it. It’s a slow burn of a read and perhaps one that you dip in and out of rather than binge as the pace and meditation of the novel is very languid.

I found this book an absolutely fascinating look at Japanese culture in relation to women and food. Through the exploration of the recipes and restaurants used by the Gourmet cook Manako Kajii, journalist Rika Machida tries to understand the convicted murderers motivations. Visiting Manako in the detention centre Rika tries to create a bond between the two women. She begins to admire and emulate to some extent the eccentric cook. I found the reactions of Rika's friends, family and work colleagues reactions to the change in Rika the most fascinating. The ideals that women have to hold themselves to seems unattainable and damaging. The interactions with Manako change Rika's life and threaten her career but in doing so she learns the fulfilling need to satiate herself with friendships and meaningful connections rather than food.

A really well written and intriguing novel that I was hooked on from the first page.

Butter is everywhere at the moment and deservedly so. I loved everything about this fascinating, enthralling story about a female Japanese serial killer. Don't miss it

Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated by  Polly Barton
Paperback release: 29 February 2024
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars
Thank you to 4th Estate and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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. Journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

On paper, this was the perfect Sandra book. In reality, it put me in a slump so bad that it ruined my reading in February and I should have DNF'd it - I would have if it hadn't been an ARC.
There are a lot of things to like about this book: the writing is good, the descriptions of food and its enjoyment are vivid and sensual, to point of visceral, and I appreciated the author touching on beauty standards in Japanese society, misogyny and discrimination.
But I could not get into it; this book is 300 pages, but it felt 3 times longer than it actually is. There was nothing I could grab onto, nothing that kept me hooked - which makes me sad as I was so excited to read it and I wanted to love it so badly. As I said, this should have been the perfect Sandra book, and maybe it was the right book but at the totally wrong time and it did not work for me.

I am afraid this was a 'did not finish' for me. I don't think it is the story, characters, or author that is the problem, but perhaps the translation. I found the writing impossible to sink into and frankly quite grating, to the point where I simply didn't want to read it anymore. I rarely fail to finish a book, so this is saying something.

I saved this novel until I went on a trip to Japan. It was wonderful reading it whilst in the country and eating the food.

Young journalist Rika Machida is thrilled to be able to visit and interview Manako Kajii, a woman convicted of killing three men, planning to write an article about her. Manako is infamous - not just for the murde men despite being overweight. Rika is intrigued by Manako and influenced by her begins to take food and cooking seriously. What follows is an exploration of the expectations put on women in Japanese society, particularly around size, and also of Rika's own development as she begins to cook more and more and along the way consider her own life, role and relationships, as much as Manako and her guilt or innocence.

I enjoyed the book a lot. It is perhaps over long, the recipes Rika cooks are described in loving detail and the intrigue around Manako's involvement (or not) in the men's deaths is dealt with rather hurriedly. I did learn a huge amount about Japanese society, as an aside I noticed when there that virtually no one is even slightly overweight as far as I could see, men as well as women. But from this novel it appears, maybe unsurprisingly, that the pressure on women to be thin is greater.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.
rs but a worse crime in the public eye is apparently that she managed to attract and beguile these

Butter is a delicious and compelling story of mystery, misogyny and murder in Japan. We follow Rika, a journalist, as she interviews, researches and befriends an alleged serial killer, Kajii.

I particularly enjoyed the use of food (particularly butter) as a means for Rika to understand herself and Kajii. The descriptions were mouthwatering.

Butter was a meaty and dense read, but very enjoyable. I would recommend this for book clubs or for those seeking a more literary, less tense twist on a thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

Inspired on the true story of the Konkatsu Killer, this was a very interesting read and with a fantastic cover that immediately caught my attention. Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this copy.

Description:
Rika, a journalist, is trying to visit Manako Kajii - a fastidious cook said to have murdered three ageing businessmen after seducing them, in large part with her cooking. Kajii freely admits hating women and margarine, and denies Rika an interview until Rika’s friend Reiko suggests asking Kajii for her recipe for beef bourguignon…

Liked:
This is a full-fat exploration of misogyny in Japanese culture: both men and women in the story are deeply affected by their patriarchal upbringings and buried beliefs. At the heart of the book is the point that adult men expect women to look after them, and the guilt that women experience when men close to them let themselves go. The translation seemed very competent - it both got out of the way most of the time, and clarified quickly when Japanese terms were used.

Disliked:
Butter is too long, with too many characters. The plot meanders and never seems to pick up the pace, with a brief middle section from another character’s POV which doesn’t seem to fit particularly well. I’m torn when it comes to the messages underlying the novel: on the one hand, the multiplicity of perspectives on women and feminism in modern Japan feels realistic, foregrounding a sometimes shocking naivete and torturous double standards. On the other, there are no clear conclusions to be had here, and even the protagonist’s resolve to actually enjoy eating food now and then undergoes a bit of a climbdown by the end of the book. Overall, the exploration feels less ‘nuanced’ than ‘confused’.

Would recommend, lightly. It’s interesting, but I’d hoped this would be meatier.

Anything Else:
Distinctive yellow covers are so arresting! I wish this didn’t have the bloody fingerprints, otherwise it’s so lovely.

Rika, a 33 year-old journo working for a men’s weekly magazine in Japan, breaks out of her beige existence when investigating a serial killer. Manako Kajii, awaiting trial, is a romance fraudster who attracted her victims with delicious gourmet cooking. Rika requests one of her killer recipes and is granted an audience. Pursuing the truth with fangirl-level obsession, Rika discovers an untapped pleasure in food, friends and life.

Based on real events, Asako Yusuki has done something really clever by rendering a story that reads like a time capsule for our current era. It depicts the horsemen of the 21st century apocalypse: misogyny, fame, trolling, and body shaming. The book begins amid a heatwave-induced butter shortage, so even climate change gets a look-in. It is beautifully written and Polly Barton’s translation delivers an evocative account richly steeped in all the senses for the English reader to savour.

The story is a rich stew of ingredients. Each fully formed character benefits from a graceful, rounded construction, and no sense is left untouched in the author’s world-building. Rika’s tense journey to authenticity and meaning inspires empathy. Amid the Nigella-level food adjectives bob a few rolling metaphors that add to the brilliant poetic depth of the text. It’s an enjoyable read by a master storyteller.

‘Butter’ is a thrilling story that could be a ‘Julie and Julia’ remix by Stephen King. It’s coolly stylistic like Capote’s ‘In cold blood’ but hotly contemporary like Curtis Sittenfeld’s ‘Romantic Comedy’ and stingingly alert like Sarai Walker’s ‘Dietland’. I will be buying copies for all my friends. Fantastic. Thanks to NetGalleyUK and 4th Estate for the eARC.

This was an intriguing read. I loved the vivid descriptions of food and the powerplay twists between interviewer and interviewee. It was a fascinating insight into Japanese culture in modern Tokyo and to a real life case I knew nothing about.

The first thing I need to say about this book is that it made me go out and buy a rice cooker! BUTTER by Asako Yuzuki is a detailed and involving story of female friendships, the way we see ourselves, the way others see us, and the simple things that can give us pleasure. It's a long story - longer than I expected it to be - but at no point did I find my interest flagging. Every detail, from the food to the locations to the people to the emotional arcs, felt perfectly placed and thoughtfully written. I really, really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more of Asako Yuzuki's work in the future (while cooking rice in my rice cooker).

An original story about murder and food.
I found the cultural references really interesting, although the story itself was quite long winded. I think a slightly shorter story would have made a more enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me of an ARC of Butter!

From the start, I was intrigued by the premise and blurb of this book. I had expected this to be a sort of mystery thriller story, something fun to read in my downtime but turns out I was completely wrong. This book was slow moving but not in a "i really need this to keep moving" but more of in the way that I enjoyed and savored every piece of paragraphs. I loved the discussion surrounding misogyny and fatphobia and I loved how the main character, Rika, reflects on that as well for herself. I'm a big fan of character driven books, so this book was a delight for me to read because I loved seeing the change and growth in Rika's personality and confidence through out the story. I especially loved how Rika learnt to love and be comfortable in her own body despite the people in her lives saying otherwise, and learnt to listen to herself and her body.

Of course, the food descriptions don't help either. This one needs to be read on a full stomach or with something to snack on because truly, just reading the food description made my stomach grumble. I really enjoyed Asako's writing and also the translation. This book might not be for all - I know that a lot of people are intrigued by the blurb like me previously - but if you love character driven stories, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Weirdly compelling, and very original.
I did find the book quite long, and wondered whether a shorter story would have been an easier read - the bits that were more exciting were really good, however there did seem to be some padding in there.
The parts about food were pretty good, and I did enjoy the culture differences.

I was sent a copy of Butter by Asako Yuzuki to red and review by NetGalley. At first I thought I would despair of yet another book that seemed to be on the trend of being foodie and having recipes dotted through it as so many novels seem to be at the moment. However, this novel does have more to it than some others I have read in the same vein. While it is a story (apparently inspired by real events) of a journalist attempting to form a relationship with a serial killer to get an insider scoop I felt it had much more to do with the limitations and expectations imposed on Japanese women, both concerning their weight and presentation and the ongoing traditions that women should aspire to get married and have a family, giving up any employment to do so and to primarily ‘make a home’. There were times when I think some things got lost in translation and I did feel that the book went on a little too long for my liking. I also got a little confused at first with the protagonist and her best friend being called Rika and Reika! The prose though quite interesting was a little flat and on a level, with a surprize couple of chapters thrown in part way through the novel written first person, whereas all the other chapters had been third person, and were following this too. It’s a shame that there wasn’t more written in this way as I think it makes for a much more immersive read to actually be in the head of a particular character. All in all I think Butter deserves 4 stars, if only because it highlights a very different culture to my own, plus it gave me plenty to think about along the way.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki is a captivating novel that intricately weaves Japanese culture into its narrative, providing readers with a rich and immersive experience. As a translation from Japanese to English, the novel not only presents a compelling story but also offers glimpses into the nuances of Japanese customs, traditions, and way of life.

For readers like myself who have a deep appreciation for learning about different cultures, it is a treasure trove of new concepts and insights. Each reference to Japanese culture serves to enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of the story, adding layers of depth and authenticity to the narrative.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This story, apparently based on real events, has the slippery, elusive taste, and the creamy consistency of the expensive butter it celebrates. A young journalist, Rika, investigates the story of an alleged mass murderer, Manako Kajii, but slowly becomes involved with her story and the drawn out associations Manako makes between food, personal freedom and relationships.

There’s an interesting critique of Japanese social relationships here and the interesting assertion that people are so preoccupied with not giving offence to anyone else that social relationships disappear. Interactive, emotional and sexual relationships go the same way, so that sex is more easily simply transacted rather than explored.

Rika, and her best friend Reiko, begin to escape through food, choosing what they enjoy, focusing on quality and not worrying about the calories, and also not bothering about putting on weight. This change is driven by their relationships with Manako Kajii although the influence is not always for the best.

It’s strange story but, in translation, quite an easy read and enjoyable.