The row of tall, narrow houses all in the same shade of ecru trailed up the gently sloping hill, with no end in sight. Everywhere in this well-kept neighbourhood left a seamlessly uniform impression, and Rika Machida had begun to feel as if she were circling round and round a single spot.
***
The Blurb
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who 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. 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 masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, 'The Konkatsu Killer', Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
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, and translated by Polly Barton.
My Review
This is a unique book, and I cannot recall anything similar in my reading experience.
It is a genre-defying novel based on fact. The main character is a journalist, Rika Machida who is trying to find a way to interview Manako Kajii, who has been convicted and imprisoned for the murders of three older men after they have eaten meals that she prepared for them.
This is a really interesting book. It was fascinating to observe the way in which Rika, the only female journalist in her office, finds a way in which she can get an exclusive interview with Kajii, who has refused all approaches from the press before. Through Kajii's love of food, she is able to find a way through and to meet her face to face.
There are many references to food and dishes in this book, most of which were new to me. As we watch Rika's own attempts at cooking some of the recipes that Kajii demands she cooks, we become immersed in this story of discovery alongside her. The food and cooking is described in detail. The descriptions are mouth-watering and sensual, and Rika attempts to understand Kajii's motivation and psyche in her love of cooking.
Whilst there is a mystery running alongside, the book is really about how society views women in Japan and how women are expected to conform to a particular size and role. It also touches on themes of trauma, and we read how all these things are affected by an attitude to food.
I enjoyed this book very much, and I recommend it if you fancy something a little different.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 0008511715
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 464 (paperback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Asako Yuzuki was born in Tokyo in 1981. She won the All Yomimono Award for New Writers for her story, Forget Me, Not Blue, which appeared in her debut, Shuuten No Anoko, published in 2010. She won the Yamamoto Shūgorō Award in 2015 for Nile Perch No Joshikai. She has been nominated multiple times for the Naoko Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio and film.
You can also find Asako at:
(media courtesy of https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/yuzuki-asako/)
(all opinions are my own)
