de Asako Yuzuki
A highly fresh and original novel following a journalist in contemporary Japan as she investigates a serial killer convicted of luring wealthy men in with her cooking classes only to seduce, murder, and rob them, and a gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession, and the pleasures and pressures of food
Journalist Rika Machida is facing an unusual assignment: she is tapped to investigate serial killer Manako Kajii, notorious for drawing rich men in with her pricey cooking classes, only to murder them and move on to the next. Kajii refuses to cooperate with the press until Rika writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipe, a correspondence and ongoing series of conversations between the two women that sees Rika transforming as she becomes closer to Kajii, taking on some of her confidence and strength but also some of her deadly intention. Game on.
Set in 2011, when dairy product shortages across Japan made butter a hot commodity, Butter depicts a vivid, panoramic view of contemporary Japan as seen through a diverse cast of Japanese women. An endlessly entertaining and sharply insightful look at the relationships between women and how they engage and challenge one another, revealing the many contradictions and complexities in the process, Asako Yuzuki's novel is filled with intoxicating descriptions of food and the body that also looks deeply at its connection to the sinister, criminal, and taboo, its enduring power and delight.
A highly fresh and original novel following a journalist in contemporary Japan as she investigates a serial killer convicted of luring wealthy men in with her cooking classes only to seduce, murder, and rob them, and a gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession, and the pleasures and pressures of food
Journalist Rika Machida is facing an unusual assignment: she is tapped to investigate serial killer Manako Kajii, notorious for drawing rich men in with her pricey cooking classes, only to murder them and move on to the next. Kajii refuses to cooperate with the press until Rika writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipe, a correspondence and ongoing series of conversations between the two women that sees Rika transforming as she becomes closer to Kajii, taking on some of her confidence and strength but also some of her deadly intention. Game on.
Set in 2011, when dairy product shortages across Japan made butter a hot commodity, Butter depicts a vivid, panoramic view of contemporary Japan as seen through a diverse cast of Japanese women. An endlessly entertaining and sharply insightful look at the relationships between women and how they engage and challenge one another, revealing the many contradictions and complexities in the process, Asako Yuzuki's novel is filled with intoxicating descriptions of food and the body that also looks deeply at its connection to the sinister, criminal, and taboo, its enduring power and delight.
Critiques-
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February 12, 2024
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. Agent: Stephen Edwards, RCW Literary. -
March 1, 2024
Journalist Rika Machida works for a weekly magazine in Tokyo. Her life is centered around work, with little time for outside enjoyment or friends. To further her career, Rika is determined to get an interview with elusive convicted woman serial killer Manako Kajii, a former gourmet chef currently incarcerated in Tokyo Detention Center. After several unsuccessful attempts to converse with Kajii, Rika takes the advice of her friend Reiko (who shares Kajii's interest in cooking) and gains access after asking Kajii for a recipe. As Rika and Kajii start talking regularly, Rika begins to better appreciate food and develop cooking skills herself. Time goes on, and Kajii's subtle manipulations of Rika become more overt, taking a toll on Rika's mental health. Will Rika be able to regain her sense of self? Can she objectively write the article on Kajii that will make her career? And is Kajii guilty of the crimes of which she's been convicted? VERDICT An intriguing and unusual novel with a fresh perspective, this 2017 best seller (Yuzuki's first to be translated into English) defies categorization: part psychological exploration of misogyny and fatphobia, part social commentary on contemporary Japan and the roles and expectations of the women who live there.--Katy Duperry
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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April 1, 2024
Rika Machida, an ambitious young reporter for a Japanese weekly, becomes obsessed with the suspected killer known as "Kajimana," who extorted money from a string of lonely middle-aged men lured by her cooking. Three of the men died in suspicious accidents, one of a drug overdose, another under a train, and another in a bathtub. Determined to score an interview with the assumed murderer, who is in a detention center awaiting a second trial, Rika overcomes the woman's refusals by expressing great interest in food. To further gain her trust, Rika carries out the extreme assignments concocted by Kajimana, including having sex (with her droopy older boyfriend, as it turns out) before rushing out to consume butter ramen noodles at a particular restaurant. The ecstasy Rika experiences from the butter rush leads her to reject the usual dietary restrictions--and gain weight. That worries her, but the proudly corpulent Kajimana, an anti-feminist who flaunts her flesh in rejecting male conceptions of beauty and sexuality, mocks her concerns. The better Rika knows her (or thinks she does), the more she questions her new mentor's part in the men's deaths. Ultimately, the questions she doesn't ask come back to bite her. Loosely based on a true story, Yuzuki's debut novel, a bestseller in Japan, is a slow cooker at 464 pages--one with an appetite for indicting male-dominated society. But the book's persistence, like that of its protagonist, proves to be one of its winning qualities. While not as seductive as the mouthwatering dishes Yuzuki describes, the liveliness of the writing, full of wry twists, breaks down any resistance. Eating gets sexy in this offbeat confidence tale.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
