Description of book
THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SENSATION
WINNER OF WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025
A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK
‘A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
‘A cult phenomenon’ iNEWS
‘Took the literary world by storm’ BBC
‘A killer Japanese novel’ THE TIMES
'I have been glued to Butter’ NIGEL SLATER
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.
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.
Longlisted for the CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger Award 2025
'It isn’t entirely clear whether to read the novel or devour it’ OBSERVER
‘Readers around the world are finding themselves utterly captivated’ DAILY MAIL
‘I really enjoyed it’ MEERA SYAL, on BBC Between the Covers
'Compelling, delightfully weird' PANDORA SYKES
'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY
'You’ll be craving rice, butter and soy sauce in no time’STYLIST
‘Nothing short of ingenious’ iNEWS
‘Ambitious and unsettling’GUARDIAN
'Luscious … I devoured this' IMOGEN CRIMP
'A salty morsel with one hell of a bite’ ALICE SLATER
Format:
Language:
English
Ratings & reviews
3.7
★★★☆☆526 ratings
4.4
★★★★☆513 ratings
The characters felt realistic and human. They make you ask questions like: Whose point of view is correct? Is there a right answer to the situation? I felt like reading this book made me feel better about my humanity. The rich descriptions of the foods personally sucked me in. Bit of trigger warning tough: there's quite a lot of discussion about weight and how other people persieve the weightgain or loss of an idividual.
Elisa
★Book5
★Narration4
There is just so much here to bite into (pun intended). Brings up and examine misogyny, culture around food & bodies, fatphobia and how we as individuals inherit the biases from society. It doesn't fully reveal it's scope at first, which perhaps could've made it feel more polished, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, happy with every new aspect that gradually emerged. Might be beneficial to do a read/listen along or have it for a bookclub, since it is rich in nuance and different themes, having someone else to talk about it with can only enhance the experience.
Leo
★Book5
★Narration4
Highly recommend this book. It covers lots of interesting themes of the Japanese culture such as gender roles, body image, and of course the food scene. Quite slow but very entertaining and thought provoking.
Patrycja
★Book4
★Narration5
A journalist with an obsession with a serial killer always makes for an interesting read, add into the mix that both are lonely females. My biggest criticism is the constant description of good, I understand that food is central to the plot but I’m sure I listened to a 10 min long description of defrosting, cooking, carving and eating a turkey.
Katrina
★Book4
★Narration5
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