I feel like the more I love a book, the less I can find to say about it, which is frustrating when I'm trying to write a review. But I thought this was so so good. The characters were fantastic and so nuanced and full of life. The commentary and exploration of feminist themes and women's relationships with their bodies/food/each other/men/within families/careers, was just incredible. There are so many passages I highlighted because they really spoke to me. And apart from that, the descriptions of food were absolutely mouth watering and now I want to take cooking classes. Thank you very much to 4th Estate publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, I'm absolutely thrilled I got to read it and will be recommending it to everyone!

This book had mixed feelings for me. Did I enjoy it? Yes without a doubt but I did get lost in translation at times. Ignoring the fact that I had a certain song running through my head whilst reading it!
This book is based on a true story.
When journalist Rika Machida looks into the female serial killer Manako Kajii (the Konkatsu Killer) she discovers that the way she lures her victims in by feeding them exotic food but there is a twist to how she does this.
It explores how society sees an overweight woman and the impact it has on society.
An interesting read.

Thank you Fourth Estate and NetGalley for the early review copy ahead of its publication on February 29th in return for a fair and honest review.

Butter is whole load of things. It's a crime novel, a feminist expose, a feast of food writing, and an emotional journey of grief, connection, and the pitfalls of society.

Butter is, also, good - but not brilliant.

It follows Rika as she secures an illusive interview with the suspected serial killer and fraudster, Kajii months before the criminal is due to go on re-trail. From there, the story plays out as conversations between the two as well as the spiraling chaos that consumes Rika as she falls more and more under Kajii's spell.

Characters in this book do the heavy lifting. Rika's internal monologue in engrossing, genuinely making you feel as if you're descending down this spiral with her. While Kajii's way of speech is so captivating that it drags you into her delusions just as it enchants Rika in the same way. Watching their relationship play out, supporting each other, destroying each other, is so enthralling to flick thorough and this is largely owed to the fabulous translation of this work.

It is impeccably written, managing to create the most engrossing first hundred pages that I have ever read in my entire life. It explores its politics of patriarchy and the expectations society places on women with such clarity while still rich metaphors and texture which is so impressive. If there's one thing you cannot fault, it is how much of amazing job Polly Barton did in translating it. That alone sees it through to the end for me.

But, the book is plotted very strangely, seeming to end far earlier than it does, and then using the remaining pages to answer questions I didn't really feel I needed to know the answer for. And in that filler, I found myself growing tired of this narrative. If it had been skimmed down to 200-300 at the most pages, then ultimately you'd get a much more tighter experience that hammers in its themes and narrative.

That for me is what stops me absolutely adoring this book. While the good are fantastically good, the whole book seems over bloated and frankly dull in sections. That doesn't mean I didn't have a good time with it - and if Japanese feminist literature with a true crime edge is at all your thing, then please give Butter a try, it's worth it - but on the whole, I've left feeling worn by it in a way I didn't expect.

Saw a first mention of this book being published in translation well over a year ago and have been poised for the release ever since. A super foody read with a little mystery to keep you hooked. It was somewhat of a slow burn for me to start with but I soon got quite addicted and was keen to know how it would all play out. I wasn't totally satisfied with the ending but it was an interesting book and my first translated fiction in some time.
It was fun to get back to the types of book I was reading before my reading mojo fell off the cliff last year..

Plenty of butter and descriptions of food and how food makes you feel - a journalist investigates the case of a female serial killer, accused of taking advantage of lonely men in Japan. A bit slow, but an eye opener with regards to the culture in Japan and how women are regarded.

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.

If you’re looking for a quick easy read then this isn’t for you but if you want an intense, thoughtful read that will take you on a journey through Japanese culture then this is most definitely for you. This book is a slow and steady read that takes time to look at relationships between friends, family, and partners. It highlights the high levels of misogyny that still exist in society, and how this impacts not only relationships between men and women but between women particularly those women who are perceived as over-weight. It explores people’s relationships with food which is a really unique and enjoyable aspect of this story that makes the story very relatable.. The story of murder and the convicted killer Kaji is central to this story but is somehow very cleverly understated too at the same time. The focus of the story falls on Rika the journalist researching Kaji’s case as she starts to learn more about who she is and wants to be. As Rika learns more about Kaji she learns more about herself. I was rather appropriately, I think, slowly seduced by this thought provoking book.

The book follows Rika, a journalist who pursues writing a series of articles about convicted serial murderer Manako Kajii (closely based on the real Kanae Kijima). As Rika tries to get closer to Manako and gain her trust, she finds herself falling under her influence, but also opening up to new experiences and emotions. A key surface theme in the book is culinary pleasure and the joy of food, which is the lever that, in may ways, turns Rika's life upside down (overall, in a good way). Nonetheless, the main theme of the book is the role of women and their empowerment. This is a topic that comes up again and again, via Rika, Manako, and all the women in their lives. The story of (nearly) each woman starts with her trying to live up to some expectations that society tries to enforce on her, then sinking deeper and deeper into sadness and depression, until finally emerging out of it being truer to oneself. There is a lot of nuance in this as well - I especially liked the idea that emerges at some point in the book, juxtaposing Manako's cooking to please others with Rika's cooking to please herself. The fates and stories of these two opposing philosophies, one could argue, is the read thread that binds the book together.

Overall, it was a worthwhile experience. The characters were robust and interesting - Rika, in particular, was multi dimensional and felt very real and tangible; Manako was an extraordinarily carefully sketched portrait of psychopathy. Other characters were also interesting, with the men, despite often being more secondary to the plot, also offering interesting glimpses into the socio-hierarchical structures of contemporary Japan.

It's also hard to disagree with the main premise of the book. Women's liberation, and self-realisation is an age-old important theme, and this author does a great job bringing it to life in contemporary Japan. While some of the aspects of this topic might seem ridiculous to a Western Reader (like me), they clearly show the journey that women in Japan still have to go on in order to achieve what they truly deserve.

I also really liked the use of the real-life story of the murderous female chef, and delving into the potential reasons for her behaviour. It was a nicely executed backdrop to a story that otherwise would have come across as soppy and cliche.

That being said, I can't say I really enjoyed the book. The main reason was the length, driven mostly by way too detailed descriptions of cooking, food, and meals. When I say long - I mean dozens of pages describing the preparation for and cooking of one single meal (as an example). While I also love cooking myself, this felt too much like an obsession that went too far, and really added little to the storytelling or character development. I think the book could have easily been 30% shorter (and therefore - flowing much more easily), by editing these bits more ruthlessly. The other reason I disliked it a bit was the on the nose women's lib topic. While I think it's obviously the main theme of the book and the overall structure is well done to highlight it, the topic ended up being hashed, rehashed, and then rehashed once again. Albeit very different, it reminded me of the preachy nature of Ayn Rand's work, where the same idea would be repeated 20 times in different guises.

I recommend it to anyone interested in what it means to be a woman in contemporary Japan, and those who love reading about food and how it influences people's lives.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Inspired by a true crime story about a convicted conwoman and serial killer, Butter follows journalist Rika in her quest to get a scoop story about Manako Kajii while she awaits retrial in the Tokyo Detention Centre. It centres greatly around food and is packed with descriptions of tastes and textures etc. however, I often found these a bit too much, not helped by the fact I really don't, and never have, like butter. Kajii is a very manipulative and not at all likeable character and yet she seems to blindside so many people who encounter her, Rika included. The misogynistic culture is prevalent throughout and often felt overpowering.
This was definitely a book that took me out of my comfort zone, but overall I’m glad I persevered and saw Rika’s personal journey through.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, 4the Estate for an arc in exchange for a review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The storyline, the setting, all so different.
At first, it seemed like a strange title for a book that isn’t a cookbook - Butter.
As the story unfolds however, it felt more and more like a different type of cookbook with the ingredients comprising all the fascinating and complex characters we meet along the way.
The author gives us a really captivating and enchanting story and the end left me wanting to know what next.
I would highly recommend it.

Manako Kajii loves to cook almost as much as she likes to eat. She dated older men and took their gifts, mainly financial, providing gourmet quality food in return. But after the death of her three gentlemen, she sits in prison, convicted for their murders. Rika Machida, a junior writer for a weekly magazine, is obsessed with the case. Kajii has refused to give any interviews but after Rika asks for her recipe for beef stew instead of an interview, Rika achieves what no other journalist has been able to; an invitation to visit Kajii at the detention centre.
I had always believed that the enviable long and healthy lives of Japanese people was partly down to how little dairy was consumed, so I was surprised at how much butter featured in this novel. From the tigers turning into butter in The Story of Little Babaji to Kajii recommending Rika add high quality butter to everything she eats, it’s clear to see from where the book gets it’s title. It’s also clear that butter’s job in the book isn’t just culinary; it works also as a metaphor for richness and indulgence in a world where self-denial - to conform to a societal norm of thinness – is expected, especially from women. Butter is a rejection of misogyny and a kick to the shins of patriarchy.
Yuzuki has given butter a lot to carry in this novel.
Kajii came from the ‘dairy capital’ of the prefecture. Rika has hitherto lived a life of denial of most comforts and indulgences. Kajii feels the only life worth living is a life of indulgence. She says she ‘…simply cannot tolerate feminists and margarine.’
Rika’s obsession deepens with her visits to Kajii and we, as the reader, have to ask ourselves how healthy this obsession can be.
This novel is based on the true story of ‘The Konkatsu Killer’ and while it successfully uses this as the springboard to examine misogyny, indulgence, gender roles, family and love, it could have gone much further. If I were to criticise it at all it would be for being too safe, especially when compared to some other Japanese novels (e.g., Sayaka Murat’s Earthlings). But the characters were deftly enough drawn for me to care what happened to them one way of another.
A worthwhile read, for sure, but be prepared to have a hankering for rice with butter and a drop of soy sauce.

Butter follows a journalist, Rika, and the unusual dynamic that develops between her and Manako who has been convicted of seducing and causing the death of three lovers. In her attempts to get the exclusive story, Rika starts to imitate Manako and in doing so starts to question a lot of things about the case and her own life.

This book explores the topic of misogyny, and how harmful expectations of women to do, be, or look a certain way can be. This book is also about food, and alongside rich, detailed descriptions of food, there is also a lot of commentary on weight. The author shares their Japanese perspective of beauty expectations and body image, with a lot of explicit fatphobia. For anyone who might find that difficult reading, I think it is worth knowing we learn our protagonist's weight frequently as it changes, and how it affects her and the behaviour of the people around her.

Butter was a pleasant, thought-provoking read. I saw it shelved as a thriller so was expecting more about a journalist cracking the case of a serial killer. In reality, the book is about social commentary and self-discovery, with food as a vehicle.

I throughly enjoyed Butter. So many incredible descriptions of food that made me hungry and great solid writing. I liked the way it touched on friendship, grief and the sexist attitudes that are still present in Japanese society. As much as I enjoyed it, it was waaaay too long. It could easily have been condensed down. Looking forward to reading about the real life case the author took inspiration from now I’ve wrapped it up.

A 3.5/5!

Thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for an eARC!

This had a slow start and I’d imagine if you’re not someone who reads Japanese lit often, you might feel somewhat misled by the blurb and cover.

This is an exploration of a plethora of societal issues. The actual murders themselves are fairly inconsequential, so if you’re looking for a murder mystery or crime story, this is not it.

I however, really enjoyed the journey. There is so much that can be discussed here; feminism, expectations, beauty standards and its relationship with food etc.

I was really rolling my eyes at Kajii’s ‘not like other girls’ attitude coz that’s something that always gets on my nerves but I think the story moved well, particularly after the halfway point.

At her heaviest, Rika was around 60kg which is roughly what I weigh so it was truly a wild experience to read about how she’d let herself go and people calling her fat and saying she needs to go on a diet. For context the average clothes size here for that weight is around a UK10 or 12.

This is a great book to read and discuss with others - I’m waiting for someone I know to have read it so I can pick it apart with them lol.

Based on a true crime that shocked Japan and terrified all men, this book is unsettling but also very addictive.

Kajima, the serial killer in prison, is a very interesting character. She believes in pleasing men as the only way for women to find happiness. And in order to please men as joy, she says a woman must please herself first.

Then we have Rika, a feminist joirnalist, who investigates Kajima’s case. As Rika gets close to Kajima as part of her job, she starts finding enigmatic Kajima more and more fascinating. Kajima transforms Rika into someone like her, a woman who unleshes her desire by eating whatever she wants without worrying about.

I felt uncomfortable unsure what to feel as Rika seemed to get attached to Kajima which is very risky, but at the same time she started to feel more free from social expectations, becoming happier with herself. It is a slow book, not much happens in terms of plot, but I still found it addictive.

The only problem I have with the book is it is too long. Considering the ending and the main message it wanted to convey, I think it could have been 150 pages shorter and still be great. There is a lot of writing about eating or cooking something, which I normally love and enjoyed it in the first 1/3 of the book, but I got bored as there were too much of it.

So all on all, 4 🌟 but if you want a book that’s unique in its premise, I highly recommend it!

A totally new and original story, but the fact that’s it’s based on a true story is so outrageous it’s brilliant. It incorporates everything that’s needed to be the best book club discussion, if I’m not already obsessed by Japanese culture this book has made me make the decision to visit.

This is a compelling read. In the tradition of Murakami and others, another classic Japanese novel which translates so well to English. In no short measure, due to the skills of Polly Barton, the translator. This is a multi-layered read with a crime story wrapped up in gastro-lit and a window into Japanese society. The writing flowed well and is a page-turner of sorts. One of the books of the year in its originality and readibility.


Thank you NetGalley and 4th estate for the ARC

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter builds on the case of infamous “Konkatsu Killer” Kanae Kijima known for the lavish tastes, particularly love of gourmet food – recorded via her recipe blog – that led to the deaths of a series of “sugar daddies” funding her extravagant lifestyle, and resulted in a death sentence for Kanae Kijima. But tellingly, the public and media outcry surrounding Kanae Kijima didn’t centre on her proposed punishment and the disproportionate number of Japanese women awarded the death penalty, or on her crimes, but on Kanae Kijima’s failure to fulfil mainstream, Japanese ideals of beauty. How a woman who, by Japanese standards, was “grossly” overweight attracted so many men became the burning question. A question central to Yuzuki’s novel, sparking a wider examination of issues around women, food, and femininity. An inventive take on Japanese “gastro” fiction a tradition running from Tanizaki’s “The Gourmet Club” to Yoshimoto’s Kitchen to Tawada’s Sugar Time and beyond. Yuzuki apparently studied aspects of culinary arts as background research.

Yuzuki’s primary narrator is Tokyo-based, journalist Rika Machida who’s investigating Manako Kajii, a convicted killer awaiting retrial in an attempt to overturn a life sentence. Rika’s intent on a scoop, an interview with the notoriously reclusive Kajii, as well as an opportunity to assess whether Kajii is actually the innocent victim of a misogynistic system. Like Kajii, Rika is relatively isolated, her closest friend is Reiko who’s recently abandoned her career to embrace married life in suburbia. But, unlike Kajii, Rika rigorously polices her body, strictly maintaining her 50kg weight. Rika has so expertly internalised the idea that appearance is essential to success she no longer recognises hunger. But after she establishes an ongoing bond with Kajii, Kajii’s influence, particularly her obsession with cooking and luxury foods, reawakens Rika’s appetite in unexpected ways, leading to a battle between Kajii and Reiko for Rika’s loyalties.

Yusuki’s complex, sometimes convoluted, narrative takes on a number of social and cultural issues, stemming from concerns over the ways in which Japanese women’s emotional and domestic labour serves to sustain men at women’s expense. A world in which women are expected to feed and nurture men but literally, and metaphorically, starve themselves – at one point Reiko observes that the average Japanese woman now routinely consumes fewer daily calories than women post-WW2, a period in Japan notorious for famine and mass starvation. For women indulgence in food is regarded as gluttony, signifying a lack of overall self-control, something Rika’s colleagues and boyfriend don’t hesitate to point out as her changing body gradually begins to take up more than the socially-desired, space. So that, at least at first, Kajii is presented as a potential, feminist icon, someone vilified for rejecting conventional models of femininity and her refusal to deny her own desires - unlike ambitious but self-effacing Rika. Although Rika too is represented as sneakily challenging, even queering, gender expectations, her “boyishness” earned her the title “prince” at her all-girls’ school, and is still a source of fascination for Reiko. Although by framing Rika’s gender nonconformity via tropes associated with Class S stories, Yuzuki shuts down many of the possibilities that Rika’s “queerness” might open up - Yuzuki’s emphasis is on heterosexuality here. Similarly, the more radical outcomes opened up by Kajii’s character are carefully reined in as Yuzuki’s story unfolds.

I thought Yuzuki’s book was a worthwhile read overall, it offers some interesting insights into Japanese society, poses some intriguing questions and contains numerous compelling scenes. But, at the same time, I found her underlying arguments muddled, frustratingly contradictory and compromised. I enjoyed the referencing of writers like Kawabata; and Yuzuki’s various uses of butter as a means to expose wider social and cultural issues were often productive, and entertaining, although its impact diminished as her story progressed. Yuzuki’s blurring of genre boundaries had a J-drama feel at times, her fiction’s been widely adapted for television. She combines her form of “gastro-lit” with Japanese crime-writing conventions, particularly in its socially-aware, post-WW2 phase, which means stretches of her novel may be too dry or overly detailed for some readers. For me, an improbable twist, followed by a move towards more melodramatic, psychological crime served up with a generous helping of life lessons was far more of a problem – especially the way in which it appeared to reinstate the eccentric or non-conforming as dangerously “other”. Translated by Polly Barton.

Rating: 3 to 3.5

Many thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for a digital ARC in exchange for a review.

I already had this book on my wishlist, so when I was very excited to get an email inviting me to read the ARC. This book mostly lived up to my expectations; the plot shifted multiple times throughout, keeping me on my toes. I enjoyed how it related Rika's foodie journey to the wider story, and I particularly related to this aspect as someone who developed a love of cooking as an adult. I did feel like it could have benefitted from editing it down to make it slightly shorter, as the plot did drag a little in places, such as when Reiko went her own way after the trip to Niigata. There was also the odd passage where the names seemed to be mixed up, which is bound to happen when you have two characters with similar-sounding names; it was often hard to keep the two characters distinct in my mind, especially as they share many scenes together. However, overall, I really enjoyed the story and the prose, and would likely revisit this in the future.

I’m going to give this book 3.5 stars because even though I was so ready to DNF this book at 17%, I think it’s still brilliant, but it’s not what I was expecting or what I am really into reading at the moment. So I went into this thinking it would be a fast paced, plot-driven feminist thriller that had me hooked from page 1, which unfortunately was not the case. This book is absolutely a character study to its core, with mountains of description of everything in this book, from food to past experiences. This meant that it was very slow paced and I often found myself pushing myself to read on, but at the same time, I just had to know how it ended. However this is a book that analyses femininity in Japan, women’s rights and the constant discourse around women’s bodies, which is something I really did enjoy. Overall, I do think this is a fantastic book and there is a lot to be said about, it just wasn’t totally for me as a lover of plot driven books over character studies. I think a lot of people will love this book and I can’t wait to see what people think.