Butter

anorexia

An incisive look at gender roles and gendered expectations in Japan, seen through the lens of an ambitious female reporter and how she is affected by interviews with a famous serial killer. There are a lot of interesting characters, and Rika's relationships form the backbone of the book. Her decisions about how she wanted to live her life were more interesting to me than the serial killer drama, which dragged in places.

Let down slightly by it's non-ending and a bit overhyped. 3.5 stars

food and female psychopaths: what more could you want?

Firstly, this book made me hungry for a lot of buttery food. The descriptive paragraphs were meant to tease and make you salivate, getting you to crave food, while also dropping subtle reminders that you should be eating for yourself and what your body needs.

I originally went into this thinking it would be more of a focus on Kaiji and her alleged victims, but instead I was introduced into an incredibly written, thought-provoking book surrounding food and expectations towards women in Japan. It also stressed the importance of human connections and how eating food can bring joy and comfort.

It's definitely a book that isn't for everyone, since it doesn't feel like it's marketed into the correct genres. However, it is a profound literacy piece and definitely worth a read.