Butter | Asako Yuzuki


novel | psychological | thriller | japanese

First published 2017


Book cover of Butter by Asako Yuzuki on the blogandbooks green background

This thought-provoking novel blends together true crime, feminism and colourful descriptions of food and cooking. Inspired by the real-life case of Kanae Kijima, a serial seductress and serial killer, Butter explores the intersection of food, power, sex and the expectations of women in Japanese society.

The protagonist, Rika Machida, is a journalist who is investigating the enigmatic and infamous Manako Kajii. Kajii has been accused of luring wealthy, lonely men into relationships with her exquisite and delicious cooking skills. She has been convicted of murdering these men. Rika digs deeper and deeper into Kajii's life, and finds that she herself has been seduced by the descriptions of food. She begins to challenge her own thoughts about the constraints placed upon women, and this leads to a personal reckoning that Rika is not fully prepared for.

The descriptions of food in this book are truly mouth-watering. Yuzuki masterfully critiques the strict gender roles in Japan, paying particular attention to the pressure placed on women to be either desirable or invisible. The relationship between Rika and Kajii is like a psychological game of chess rather than a traditional journalist-subject dynamic.

As the novel came to a close, I started to find the extremely detailed descriptions of food slightly drawn out and a little boring. The ambiguity surrounding Kajii left me feeling a little disappointed also, but overall this was a super interesting, kind of weird and unsettling novel; perfect for anyone who enjoys reading translated fiction, literary fiction or stories based on real-life.


Review published 03.02.2025



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