Butter
A Novel of Food and Murder
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3.7 • 47 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
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 simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom 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 master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of a 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yuzuki draws on the real-life crimes of the Konkatsu Killer in early-aughts Japan for her delectable English-language debut. Journalist Rika Machida conducts a series of prison interviews with convicted serial killer Manako Kajii, a former food blogger who used her exquisite cooking to seduce lonely men. Manako, who maintains her innocence, is a coveted and elusive subject, whom Rika has managed to land through flattery, having requested the prisoner's recipe for her famous beef stew. As the two talk about food, Rika falls under a similar spell as Manako's victims, neglecting her work, friends, and figure as she seeks out more delicious flavors under Manako's tutelage. As Rika gains weight, her misogynistic colleagues shun her, claiming she doesn't respect herself and therefore isn't deserving of their respect. Her weight gain also draws ire from her boyfriend. Yuzuki takes a thrilling look into female relationships, revealing the complex nature of modern-day social conventions pertaining to a woman's appearance and her place in the home, and enriching the proceedings with mouthwatering descriptions of food. Like the meals Yuzuki describes, this leaves the reader satiated.
Customer Reviews
Utterly delicious
It’s a wonder to have book change you as a person, and make you deeply hungry all at once. How wonderful it is to share a meal.
Slow
This book was extremely slow and boring. I couldn’t finish it.
I nearly made it
To the end. I couldn’t take it anymore.