Butter

The summary of Butter by Asako Yuzuki is hard for me as it is such a dense story of different characters who grow and develop and our understandings of them change and how they understand themselves change throughout this Japanese culturally specific but fiercely feminist novel that I either provide a one sentence "it's about a woman journalist who interviews an imprisoned female serial killer, there are lots of recipes and cooking" or "A bright yellow book that champions butter, based on a true crime story combining thriller with gourmet cooking and gender stereotypes" or perhaps a multi paragraph synopsis focused on the stories of each of the characters and their relationships who grow and understand themselves and others more deeply as the story unfolds.

Also while much is made of it being based on a true person " Kanae Kijima known as The Konkatsu Killer, is a Japanese fraudster and serial killer, convicted for poisoning three would-be husbands and suspected of four more, spanning from 2007 to 2009. She was given her nickname for her frequenting of "konkatsu" (marriage-hunting) websites, with her case also being called with similar names (ex. Konkatsu Killings Case) I think this is more just a jumping off point.

In providing an overview I compromised with Yu Sim at the Straits Times "a narrative around Manako Kajii, an imperious 35-year-old gourmand locked away behind bars. She had been found guilty of killing three lonely men, whom she seduced with her cooking and then made away with their money. Butter is an addictively weird culinary romp that somehow brings to mind BTS’ song of the same name (2022), which opens with the line “Smooth like butter/like a criminal undercover”. In the novel, the dairy product is the omnipresent ingredient across the dishes featured, which transports readers from Kajii’s blogged recipes to Michelin-starred restaurants to dingy ramen joints. Kajii insists on using quality butter in her recipes, likening the sensation of eating good butter to one of falling: “The body plummets, starting from the very tip of the tongue. She refuses to speak to the media, but this does not deter the hard-nosed weekly tabloid journalist Rika Machida. Eventually, the lines between work and friendship get blurred as Machida gets reeled into Kajii’s vortex. She even promises to act as Kajii’s proxy in eating what she cannot get behind bars, and then regaling her with luscious descriptions of the experiences".

It’s the well-drawn depths to these characters that kept me reading and the protagonist Rika changes as she learns to unlearn so much of the internalised misogyny in culture, It's her friend Reiko who she knew from high school who I really enjoyed following her discovery of self who begins by accusing Rika of losing objectivity with Manako Kajii only to fall for her tricks as well.

Note if you do plan to read this I found a fair chunk of the early part of the story slow. Rika’s initial lack of interest in food, paired with Kajii’s manipulative hatred of other women, makes neither of them a comfortable target for empathy. And Reiko is equally complex: a capable, smart woman who has lied to everyone in her life. I urge perseverance as this attributes are explored and provide a sharpness needed to heighten the taste of this story ( I assure you the temptation to fill this with food puns is almost overwhelming).

Also the book whilst filled with meals, is not filled with recipes rather it is hunger inducting because it tells the sensations and experience of these meals, there is a sequence where author has described a simple recipe of butter rice with soy sauce thoroughly that I began salivating.

J Murry at Readings describes it thus "These mouth-watering descriptions of sumptuous meals and thoughtful commentary on the constricting expectations placed on women. Food becomes the vessel for this commentary, as Rika’s austere, functional dinners make way for decadent, unashamed feasts as her worldview slowly shifts, plate by plate. Rika and Manako are both complex, layered characters that are a joy to watch Yuzuki steadily unpick over the course of the novel, revealing more with each tense conversation. The lively and varied supporting cast of characters plus a dash of humour and Butter is the perfect read for anyone who wants a darkly compelling novel about the vital importance of high-quality butter.

I myself cook with Lurpak but I am tempted to seek out even more sumptuous butter after reading this.