DNF at 17%

This was not what I expected, I was thinking it would be Hannibal and murder. But it turned out to be about so much more than that and I just don’t think it’s for me. I was expecting a murder mystery and I got the societal pressures that the Japanese face. While also tying in a lot of woman’s rights and questions as to the female role.

EARC provided by Ecco.

PSA: Do NOT read this on an empty stomach, or when you're even remotely hungry. Just don't do it. Otherwise you might end up eating everything in sight and then order some takeout on top of it.

More to the point though, this novel wasn't really what I expected based on its subtitle - "A Novel of Food and Murder". True, the story does revolve around a murderer, but what the author really wanted to explore are societal norms when it comes to women, beauty standards, expectations, and all of that is tied into cooking and food. For my taste (no pun intended) "Butter" is too long because, while the prose is expressive and effective, there were plenty of times where I wished the book would move along as the point the author was trying to make was clear. It's definitely a slow burn, and I suppose if you're really into elaborate food descriptions and reflecting on mundane things (nothing wrong with that) I can see how this book can be really enjoyable, but I was getting impatient. I also found some of the cooking and eating descriptions to be quite off-putting, but that's just a me thing - overly detailed descriptions of experiencing food make me uncomfortable.

All that being said though, I actually though the characters were interesting and in the end their personal journeys are what kept me going. "Butter" is a good book, and it was very different from what I normally read, but in the end I just didn't love it.

While I would try reading something from this author again, I felt this was way too long and I lost interest quickly. Great writing skills and story plot, but it was too slow-moving for my preferences.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Butter" by Asako Yuzuki is a gripping and unsettling novel that delves into the complex themes of misogyny, obsession, and the allure of food in Japan. Inspired by a true story, this book follows the intriguing relationship between gourmet cook and serial killer Manako Kajii and journalist Rika Machida.

From the moment I started reading, I was drawn into the captivating narrative that seamlessly weaves together elements of crime, mystery, and gastronomy. As Rika seeks to unravel the secrets behind Kajii's crimes, she finds herself entangled in a web of deception and desire. The dynamic between the two women is both fascinating and chilling, as they engage in a culinary exchange that blurs the lines between obsession and admiration.

What I particularly loved about "Butter" is its exploration of the darker aspects of Japanese society, including misogyny and the pressures faced by women. As the story unfolds, Yuzuki skillfully examines these themes with nuance and depth, offering readers a thought-provoking glimpse into the complexities of human nature.

The vivid descriptions of food and cooking throughout the book are a highlight, adding an extra layer of richness to the storytelling. Each meal becomes a metaphor for the characters' inner desires and struggles, making for a truly immersive reading experience.

Overall, "Butter" is a compelling and unforgettable novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Its thought-provoking themes, well-developed characters, and atmospheric setting make it a standout read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping literary thriller with a unique twist.

This book follows Rika, a reporter in Japan, as she interviews an infamous black widow serial killer before her retrial. And with a subtitle like "A Novel of Food and Murder" I was expecting lots of sumptuous descriptions of meals to be matched by scandalous recountings of murders. Well. There was a lot of food. This book will definitely make you hungry. 

I find journalism, especially crime journalism, interesting, and am always excited by reading about toxic friendship dynamics, so there were parts of this that I really enjoyed. But I think titling and advertising the book this was put it at a disadvantage. It's really more of a slow literary fiction examination of womens' roles in society in Japan, through their relationships to each other, to men, and to their own bodies. It had some very interesting and poignant sections to this end, and great symbolism. But it was such a long and introspective work that going into it expecting some thriller-type elements set me up for disappointment. I do think someone who knew what type of story they were in for might really enjoy this more, as it was well-written and unique. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

First off, this is not a murder mystery. The description led me to believe that it was. Despite being different from my expectations, I absolutely loved this book … for about the first third of the novel. But it just stalled out in the middle for me. It picks back up in the final third, but the pace really hurts the clever writing.

4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book. *This isn’t a mystery or thriller book.* which I think needs to be said because of the description, yes it talks about a female murderer but it’s not a book directly about the murders.
I LOVED all of the writing about food in this book. Warning, don’t read while hungry! But Asako Yuzuki writes about all of the best comfort and traditional Japanese foods. Reading it gave me such a sense of home and made me miss my grandmothers cooking sooo much!
This book goes deep into real life relationships between family, friends, work, social life. I loved how real everything felt. You get a really good sense of Japanese culture through this book. I loved all of the characters and the path they made throughout the story.

The only reason I give it .5 less is because it took me forever to read and sometimes it felt like the chapters were never ending and I would get confused. But I think it may be because of reading it on my kindle.

A mysterious, deliciously written story about friendship, murder, and what it takes to set your true self free.

A journalist sets out to write the story of her career highlighting a woman accused of murdering the men she dated/took care of. But the woman accused entrances her with her personality and opinions on men and women.

As the story goes on our journalist grapples with what’s going too far when investigating the case and reliving the life of the accused defendant. From struggling with her weight and newfound love for food, to her opinions on feminism and relationship dynamics, she learns a lot about herself and Japanese culture.

This book was a slow burn, but executed in terms of plot and the deeper takeaways of the book. If you love reading about food, societal expectations, and deranged criminals, you’ll enjoy what Butter has to offer. I’ll be recommending this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ARC :-)

Butter by Asako Yuzuki tells the story of a journalist named Rika who wants the story of Manako Kajii, a woman housed at the Tokyo Dentention Center convicted on three murders. She attains a visit under the guise of wanting to discuss food, Kajii’s expertise as a previous food blogger. The relationship between them turns into an a different experience, described as an “atmospheric Japanese noir thriller” as it is based on the real life case of the “Konkatsu Killer”, where con woman Kanae Kijima was convicted of killing three of her lovers after seducing them with her apt culinary skills and subsequently poisoning them.

This book felt like a combination of Silence of the Lambs and meets Julie and Julia, as an unassuming journalist interviews a masterful alleged killer, and also under her influence goes on a journey of confections and delicatessens. It has such luxurious descriptions of food that I haven’t found in another book! It will definitely make you hungry (not going to lie I based some of my meals on the cravings that arose from reading this). I myself love to cook and don’t really see it as a chore as some people do, this book expanded upon this, saying that nurturing yourself combined with the instant gratification of flavor and the joy food illicits is one of the best human experiences. Eating should be indulging this sense, not merely surviving, if we are lucky. The name of the novel itself indicates the omnipresent ingredient in recipes throughout the book and symbolizes something that most of us use every day, and sometimes substitute because we think of it as a bad substance, but within that complacency and fear ignore the luxury behind enjoying it.

It mixes the gastronomic with our fascination with those who kill for personal gain. It also highlights women’s beauty standards as well as fatphobia and how even the acts of women eating, deriving pleasure from food, or gaining weight can be bastardized from an innocuous human experience. It’s a fascinating combination! I rated it how I did because it was slow moving for me personally, but I could see others really enjoying it. Thank you to @netgalley and @eccobooks for the eARC!!

The low rating is my fault and not the book or the writing. There is an obvious cult following for this book, but it is not what I expected it to be. I definitely wanted this to be more murdery and less foodie so it just wasn’t what I was in the mood for.

Don’t let my angsty mood reader chaos brain keep you away from this one. Listen to all the reviewers that really got into the layers that are hidden in this story.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC!

This was my first Asako Yuzuki experience. I was turned on to requesting this book because of someone who recommended this on their bookstagram account. I'm a huge fan of Polly Barton's translated works, so I knew going in this was going to be a treat. A novel about food and murder? As dark as it sounds, yes, please and thank you. I loved the plot of the story and it was an interesting read! I highly recommend it.

When I got the ARC of Butter I was so excited to read. I love reading new Japanese writers that I've never read before. This book was a huge bestseller that was based on a true story. Lets just say that by the time you finish this book you'll never look at butter (plant based ones too) the same way again. You'll appreciate it more than ever. The story take place around a butter shortage in Japan. The lead character is a reporter named Rika who decides to interview a notorious serial killer named Manako Kajii who was found guilty of tking advantage of men by dining out woth them at expensive restaurants and living a luxourious lifestyle. Rika tries to find out why she did. Through the book descriptions of delicous food fill the pages until the very end. You see Rika become a different person and her feministic side comes through and goes up against the societal norms people expect a woman to look and behave. When I started the book I could not out it down but then the desciptions of the food became overwhelming so started reading a chapter at a time. It was like I was getting full from he descriptions! I swear this one one of those books that I'll reread because it's so smart and you may miss things the first time around. Highly recommended!! Thanks to Ecco and Netgalley for the read.I can't wait to read her next book!

A book which sits partway between macabre and critique, Butter is about an aspiring journalist and her fascination with a suspected serial killer. After a chance meeting, the journalist (Rika) takes recipes and suggestions for experiences from the killer (Kajii) and finds herself turning into someone entirely new.
A hand against the glass of misogyny, fatphobia, and the expectations we place on women…I loved it.

Rating: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
5 Sticks of yellowy emulsified goodness 😋

I have not read a book about food that's made me quite literally drool while reading since Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. This book was a love letter to the culinary arts. I had to pause at one point to make a batch of cookies just to stop from salivating 🤤

The story follows Rika, a young journalist looking to become the first woman in her office to gain an official writer's seat with her paper. Rika decides her best bet for a career making story would be to gain an exclusive interview with serial killer Manako Kajii, a gourmand mistress accused of killing three of her patron lovers and defrauding many more.

Rika writes to the convicted serial killer, on the advice of her closest friend Reiko, asking for advice on recipes - Kajii's excellent cooking skills being a major factor in the downfall of her supposed victims. That simple letter snowballs into an unlikely friendship and perhaps a mutual obsession. But who is really in control - the interviewer or the interviewee?

I was really excited about this book because of the summary. And it did have great moments but it was entirely too wordy. The chapters were incredibly long and it took me much longer than normal to finish.

This was phenomenal. I went into it with no expectations and it absolutely blew me away with how good it was. The story within this and the characters were all so compelling. Following Rika as she dives into the Manako Kajii case was interesting from the start, but something about the way she was sucked in was just impossible to look away from. Like a bad car accident, I couldn't look away. When other people started to get involved and everything started spiralling, my eyes couldn't read the story fast enough. I think this was an incredibly well written book with such an interesting plot, I absolutely loved every second of it.

This book was absolutely delicious to read... the food descriptions alone were fantastic. However, the journey into being a food lover was also unique and so well written. The places, people, and dynamics of Japanese culture were fascinating and I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting and made me want to travel to Japan immediately.

Butter comes out next week on April 16, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

I've started to realise that nothing ever happens if you don't impose on people.

Adding this to my weird books pile! Thank you so much for the advance copy. Will recommend to the right reader.

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!