This story pulls you in like a simmering stew; the plot and characters slowly releasing their flavor to bring out the fullness of the story. Perhaps it is due to the translation, but some of the city life details add too much minutiae that I found myself glossing over them to get to the story. I feel like this is a good novel for fans of cozy mysteries that want to step up their palate a little more without intense gore.

For me this was is a highly captivating journey that explored relatable themes of identity, family, and societal pressures and I thought it did it with grace and humor. The characters are beautifully crafted, and the narrative is both poignant and thought-provoking. And it made me hungry! I even got up and made myself a bowl of rice with butter and soy sauce. This novel was a compelling read that will stay with me long after the final page. I Highly recommend it!

Butter is such a weird book I think I will think about it for a long time and still not settle on how it made me feel. The book had a slow start for me (disclaimer: I tend to prefer short books!) but I´m glad I stayed with it; I found things picked up for me around the 40% mark, and once we were in the 60s, I had to see it through to the end. Food descriptions stay with me, as does the relationship between Rika and Reiko---that´s the area I found myself most invested, in addition to the suspected serial killer, Kaji. I liked that we went back to her home, to the village where she grew up, to all those dairy cows, and I enjoyed the way the women worked together and betrayed one another, how ambiguous their relationship read to others and how people reacted to that uncertainty. Some of the messages in the book felt a little heavy handed to me (the continued mentions of Rika´s weight, for example) but I think that might be an area where I need to find a different way of understanding it, of making sense of what feels to me surface level. Butter is one of those books I can´t say I love but I am fascinated by it and I think I could spend hours talking about all the details, all the choices made, everything the book is doing. It´s a great read, dark and funny and original, and a little like Kaji´s beloved orthodox cooking, it takes a while to get through, but you really don´t want to skip a page (or step) to rush the ending.

[arc review]
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Butter (North American translation) releases April 16, 2024

<b>Don’t read this while hungry!</b>

Rika is a journalist investigating a convicted serial killer who is a also a gourmet cook.
The key to getting any information from Manako Kajii seems to be through experiencing the decadence of good food, namely butter, which there is currently a shortage of.

The food descriptions were plentiful and extremely rich! You could tell that the characters were very passionate and appreciative about what they were consuming, which definitely added to the overall story.

There are some prominent themes that surround misogyny and fatphobia, and I did find that the book was a little long for what it was.
I went in with the expectations of dissecting the mindset of a <u>serial killer</u>, but there wasn’t much in terms of murders or deaths.
I then started to shift my focus into thinking that perhaps being the person to influence a change in the way someone else perceives food to become more gluttonous, could then be correlated to calling them a killer by way of association?
Whichever way you want to interpret it, this was definitely mismarketed as a mystery/thriller as it was more of a social commentary/self-discovery through the lens of food.


<i>“The idea that a single home-cooked dish could save a person was a delusion. But how much suffering, how much bondage did that delusion cause for women? To think that a badly made meal like this could have saved somebody’s life was arrogant and self-obsessed in the extreme.”</I>

“Due to product shortages, supplies of butter are one per customer” . . .

“Butter” by Asako Yuzuki is a trip!!!! A wild fun ride!!!!
…..it’s inspired by a true crime > “The Konkatsu Killer” —
It’s also filled with mouth-watering scrumptious culinary foods.
Themes explored are misogyny, friendships, feminism, obsession, fatness, thinness, social issues, loneliness, marriage, domestication of women vs. non-domestication, and other Japanese cultural traditions, compliance, obedience, expectations, as well as resistance and defiance.

We’ve got a convicted female gourmet chef serial killer: Manoko Kajii ….. for …. she …. supposedly seduced lonely, wealthy businessmen with her cooking ….
Three men died: [after eating Kajii’s food ….but not on the premise]
….Tadanobu Motomatsu (an overdose of sleeping pills)
….Tokio Yamamura (run over by a train)
….Hisanori Niimi (in a bathtub)
But? Did they die of natural causes because they couldn’t keep up with the foodie lifestyle? Perhaps their old digestive systems couldn’t take it? It’s a perplexing mystery.

We’ve got journalist Rika Machida - a writer for a men’s magazine- a single female - who visits Kajii in the Tokyo Detention Center. Their relation is interesting….in that they have more in common than one might expect. Rika begins to expand her palate….by eating the foods Kaijii has suggested. We watch her gain weight. We have compassion for her - her job- her purpose and passion - her self-doubts….and we find ourselves rooting for her.

We’ve got Rika’s close friend Reiko since their early university days.
Reiko is married. She left her job because a doctor told her she wasn’t pregnant yet — into her two year marriage— due to stress.

At 464 pages ….”Butter” a tad too long …..but enjoyable (mystery, a dating service, media attention, murder, foods, romance, psychological drama) with sinister & savory delights…..
It’s Intriguing and wholly original.
About food….and murder:
Foods can be potentially murderous ….can’t they?
However, “Butter” will make you hungry.

A few savouring flares….
….The aroma of dashi and melted cheese.

….Grilled foie grass with dried persimmons salted and butter.

….Bagna cauda with a variety of steam winter vegetables…rich anchovy sauce, thinly cut slices of warmed salt pork, tofu and leek, gratin, rice, cooked in an earthenware pot
with vegetables and chopped oysters, and miso soup.
The dishes had a vitality to them, which came from using only the freshest ingredients, and they were the seasoning was unobtrusive, all flavors had pleasing depth.

….Caramelized pork served with truffles and a silky corn mash.

….”Dessert was home-made candied chestnuts, chiffon, cake baked with amazake and rice, flour, and cups of ginger chai”.

A couple of excerpts:

“I belonged to nobody either spiritually, or physically. I was ‘traveling’. The sports, papers and magazines had written this up in articles with titles like ‘Farsi Serial-Killer’. Thinks she’s Hepburn, deriding her lack of self-awareness”.

“Her stubbornly flat soufflé began to swell as they should. Maybe Kajii had thought of her dalliances with older men, as being in the spirit of Audrey Hepburn coupling with Humphrey, Bogart and Fred Astaire. According to her blog Kajii’s father, a man of refined tastes, had taken her along to the cinema showing old classics in Niigata. Had the films she said she’d seen
there—‘My Fair Lady, ‘Funny Face’, ‘Roman Holiday’ — come to shape her unique set of priorities?”.

Kinda brilliant…
Kinda absurd…. yet poignant ….
Definitely wonderfully wry & wise.

4.5 stars rating up.

I had high hopes for this book based off of it's blurb, but it sadly fell a little short for me. I didn't hate it by any means, but I definitely was not what I wanted it to be. Maybe it's the translation, but the prose felt off and the plot was uneven.

I sadly DNFd this one... I wanted to like it, but it was just too in-depth and complex for me. I am still really thankful to the publisher and author for granting me digital and physical access to this one.

Heavens. What an unusual and compelling novel this is. Long, full of Japanese culture and mores, it transports the reader to an unexpected world of work, obsession, murder, family, psychology and feminism, not forgetting,,of course the food and especially the butter. Yuzuki does a fine job of evoking her central character’s world of duty (including incredible hours at work) and expectation, peeling away the layers of Japanese social judgement and the cramped perspectives of its women. There are longueurs, yes, and odd chapters such as the best friend’s decision to go and stay with a child molester. At other times pace is slack ,and detours excessive. Nevertheless, this is an absorbing and refreshing departure of a story and one I won’t forget quickly.

3/5

Journalist Rika Machida sends a letter to the infamous Manako Kajii, a convicted murderer of several businessmen whom she supposedly seduced with her home-cooked meals. Sitting in a Tokyo Detention center, Kajii can’t help but reply to Rika when the letter asks for her beef stew recipe. When Rika and Kajii meet, a whirlwind happens in Rika’s life as she makes changes to her diet and relationships when her journalistic visits turn into something more. As Rika discovers the world of food, specifically home-cooked meals, she wonders if there’s more in common between her and Kajii than she originally thought.

“Rika had realized a while back that, even if she were to lose a few kilos, she still wouldn't pass. However beautiful she became, however well she did at work, even if she got married and had children, society didn't let women off that easily. The standards were getting higher, and assessments harsher. The only way to be free of it - however scary and anxiety-inducing it was, however much you kept on looking back to check whether or not people were laughing at you - was to learn to accept yourself.”

Inspired by a real case in Japan on the con woman and serial murderer, “The Konkatsu Killer,” this book was an dense and vivid exploration of obsession, relationships, misogyny, and food in Japan. Every character is fleshed out, with nobody shown as a perfect person, even Kajii. We get caught up in Kajii just like Rika, and can’t help but be compelled to finish the story. It is a very dense book and it took me a month to finish it because I had to keep putting it down as it delves into darker topics within Japan that most people seem to sugarcoat when thinking about the country. However, Butter puts everything on the table. While I had to stop reading multiple times, I kept coming back to this book, desperate to finish and see what happens to all the characters involved, especially between Rika and Kajii.

Oh, how I loved this. I couldn't put it down - an intricately-woven mystery that's beautifully written and compulsively readable. The translation is lovely too - spare and clean. I have already recommended it several times.

One of my most anticipated translated works this year! This book was so unsettling, but I couldn't put it down even in the late hours of the night. The dynamic between Kajima and Rika was so interesting to read. Sometimes it's tough for me to sit down with a really lengthy book, but Butter didn't feel long at all. My time reading it really flew by! If you enjoy stories on murder and food (like A Certain Hunger), you'll love this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for this title!

As an American who has never visited Japan, I love to read books in translation like this to get a peek into what is trending in Japanese popular culture. I've had a difficult time understanding why this book has been so popular and how it relates to a real true crime story. I am positive that this difficulty could be solved by my doing more research and looking into commentary about this book. Maybe I will do that, hopefully now that I have read this book I will stumble on more information about where this book comes from and why it has been so popular.

This book is a quick and straightforward read. It is about a woman who has killed several people but it is not gory or suspenseful. It has themes of feminism, problematic societal norms, and food as metaphor for lots of different things.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of this book to be published in English on April 16, 2024

I still can't believe this is based on a true crime. It really sheds light on what it feels like to be lonely. I enjoyed this book. It started off a little slow but when it picked up it was a with a force.

Butter is the latest cult favorite from a Japanese female author that crosses boundaries and presents a view of life heretofore unexpected from Japan. Having never visited that country, I was intrigued by the importance of foodie culture exhibited here, having only experienced traditional exported Japanese cuisine, never thinking to marry butter with soy sauce onto freshly cooked white rice, and found the fusion elements causing my mouth to water throughout. Add to all of that a baffling serial killer mystery, and all this whips up into a truly immersive read. The only quibble I have is that the book runs on for about 100 pages too many, and would have been better if it had been tighter. Still, the descriptions of flavors popping on the tongue, the increasing connection of food to the joy of living, and the final description of roasting a turkey was a joy to read.

Manoko Kajii is in jail for the murder of three of her suitors, even though they died outside her residence and not instantly after eating the food she cooked them. I was amazed that journalist Rika would follow Kajii's food and cooking methods and her liberal use of butter, in order to understand Kajii well enough to score an interview with her for her magazine.

Rika doubles her appreciation of cooking and seasoning with real butter, gains weight, and delves into Kajii's past to get more insight into her life. Rika'a best friend Rieko also gets taken in by Kajii's fame and tries to do the same sleuthing into Kajii's past.

The author does not make it easy for the reader to get her points. She shows rather than tells in this novel, so the reader must work hard to follow every action, every conversation, every encounter in order to have everything put into its place. It's not an easy book to read, from that point of view.

I came away noting with the author's criticism of the Japanese way of looking at women, who literally starve and deprive themselves of the pleasures of good food, in order to fit into a skinny shape, to please men and society in general. There is also misogyny seen in the way men perceive women as mere companions, cooks, to serve and keep men happy and contented.

I wish I had had the patience to not flip through pages, not want to be told rather than just be shown in such detail what Butter is all about. It's nuance and depth of perception of women and their relationship to food and men in society is to be applauded, however.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love the idea of using a gourmet chef and a serial killer to tell a story. It had it had a fascinating concept that worked with. I was hoping for from the description. It had the elements of a real case that I enjoyed figuring out what was going on. And the mystery was really well done.

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Butter by Asako Yuzuki is an amazing blend of foodie fiction and a serial killer mystery. The story revolves around Rika, who works as a reporter. One day, she writes to the infamous female serial killer Kajii, who trapped men with her delicious cooking before killing them. Kajii and Rika develop a relationship, where Kajii sends Rika on missions to taste the foods that she misses. What new foods will Rika discover? And what will Rika discover about herself?

Here is an atmospheric excerpt from Chapter 1 that transports you right to Japan:

"It was the first time she’d got off at this stop on the Den-en-Toshi commuter line. Perhaps because it had been designed for car-owning families the streets of this suburban neighbourhood, commonly considered the ideal place to raise children, were unfeasibly wide. With the map on her smartphone for guidance, Rika found herself traipsing through the area surrounding the station, which was teeming with housewives out to buy groceries for the evening meal. It was still hard for her to swallow the fact that Reiko had settled down here. The place was all mass retailers, family diners, and DVD rental shops – she hadn’t passed a single bookshop that looked as if it had been there forever, or in fact any shop that appeared to be owned by an individual and not a corporation. There was not the slightest whiff of either culture or history."

Overall, Butter is an amazing book in translation that will appeal to fans of Women Who Kill and The Food Network. One highlight of this book are the amazing descriptions of foods. This book literally made me super hungry and I had to try a dish with butter immediately after reading. Another highlight fo this book is how the serial killer plotline keeps the book interesting.

If I had to complain about 1 thing I would say that some scenes felt more like filler. The best and exciting scenes involved both of the main characters - Rika and Kajii. One final highlight of this book is that it is a Japanese book in translation. I am a huge fan of Japanese fiction, particularly mysteries and thrillers, and I am so happy to support this author and this book. I hope that more of this author's books or more books in this genre will be translated into English. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of books in translation in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in April!

If you enjoyed reading Sweetbitter or Milk Fed, this book is for you. It's the same sort of highbrow, over-the-top description of food and use of food as metaphor that will be devoured (pun intended) by arty readers. Like Sweetbitter, Rika embarks on a journey of learning her own tastes and limits, spurred on by an enigmatic individual. Like Milk Fed, this book confronts the experience of women in a world of men and the impact of female beauty standards. Yet this book is uniquely its own beast.

I want to preface my review by stating that I am an American reviewer. I am from the Midwest, and I'm reviewing this book specifically for American audiences.

For those enticed by the title and the promise of murder, it disappoints on that front. There is no murder here; the "did she do it" narrative is minimal and predictable. It's easy to see how Rika gets duped by Kajii, but readers will not fall into the spell. You'll be rooting for Rika to break out of her infatuation more than anything else. The pacing itself was a bit rough; the chapters were far too long, and the switching in POV in the third act was jarring. I found myself bored throughout reading, even with the stunning descriptions of food.

Obviously this book was written for Japanese audiences, but international audiences should take care while reading. The discussion of size may be triggering - when Rika is at her heaviest, she is still about 130 pounds. As for the predominant role of butter in Kajii's culinary allure, it will be hard for Americans to fully appreciate the Japanese tastebuds of the characters, since butter is so prevalent in our society. My rating is not at all based on this, it is based on what I wrote above, but I figured it was worth mentioning.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was only my second time reading a translated book, so I am glad that NetGalley helped me expand my reading horizons :)

Well where to start this book was crazy with the eating of all the butter and then the murders. I just wanted to root for the female MC the whole time. I also didn’t know what to think about all the butter talk like I expected it but it was also a lot

I give it 4/5

Notorious suspected killer Manako Kajii has refused to speak about her alleged crimes. A tabloid darling she remains a mystery that one journalist is determined to interview. Rika has an almost empty refrigerator, a spartan apartment and a boyfriend who only stays over as an alternative to hotels. Rika subsists on tasteless, convenient nondescript food. Rika has tried for months to interview Kajii . It is only when Rika asks for a recipe of one of her famous dishes that the elusive Kajii grants an audience. It is here the intrigue and the fun begins. Kajii pulls and pushes Rika. She demands that Rika visits places and samples foods that she cannot. Rika discovers a palate that has laid sleeping all her life. In indulging these new senses and tastes she herself emerges out of the shadows.