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aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Fatphobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Lesbophobia
grunbean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The use of food in telling this story pulls you in, and I struggled to put it down. I also struggled to stop my mouth from watering! I’ve seen some comments on the slower parts being too filler like. For me, every page has a kind of story of its own. I don’t think there’s a word in this book that is accidental, or coincidental. The translation is written beautifully. This with the story makes this a book I think I’ll return to again!
Graphic: Death of parent, Body shaming, Misogyny, Fatphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Blood, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Murder, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail
kimib79's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Minor: Blood, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Grief, and Toxic friendship
dorothy_shack's review
The writing itself is evocative and well-done, so if you’re up for a lot of discussion about Japanese societal expectations of women’s bodies and behavior, you might enjoy this more than I did.
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Sexism, and Misogyny
nix_jinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ultimately, this felt like an exploration of psychological manipulations, the subtleties and insidiousness. You have a character who overtly attempts to exude control over those who come into contact with her, but then you also have all the different influences who seek to control more subtly. Having the stark contrast of women fighting to live for something other than the men in their lives, and those fighting for the status quo in which men are all that matters was uncomfortable and powerful.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, and Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
whatzoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Infertility, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
amalas_bookstop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The is novel opens with Rika she is a journalist who has the opportunity to interview Kaji who is waiting for a retrial for three murders she was convicted of. The author also includes a side plot of Rikas friend Reiko and their journey as well.
I came into this story expecting a little bit more of the murder plot and figuring out if Kaji actually murdered three men. However, this book very much focuses on Rika and her discovery to know more of herself as she goes through these series of interviews with Kaji that focuses on great cuisine and its nuances.
The author uses this story to really ask the question, what is indulgence, especially when it comes to Japanese women, food, and relationships. In fact this book probably could have been 100-200 pages shorter without the extreme focus on every meal Rika either ate or made. Her coming of age story as an adult woman was definitely the highlight of the story. Kaji was used to help her break out of the traditional norms society places on women and to help her come to terms with childhood grief.
The writing was very descriptive and beautiful and the translation was well done. I would often want to get up and eat something extremely buttery as I read this story. However if you are looking to read this for more thrill or horror this is not the book.
I definitely recommend that you read this book with a nice steaming bowl of buttery rice and soy sauce. It will not disappoint!
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder
katndrsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Suicide
Minor: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
kcarri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
TL;DR: interesting toxic relationships all around in a book that's far too long for its own good.
Butter is whole load of things. It's a crime novel, a feminist expose, a feast of food writing, and an emotional journey of grief, connection, and the pitfalls of society.
Butter is, also, good - but not brilliant.
It follows Rika as she secures an illusive interview with the suspected serial killer and fraudster, Kajii months before the criminal is due to go on re-trail. From there, the story plays out as conversations between the two as well as the spiraling chaos that consumes Rika as she falls more and more under Kajii's spell.
Characters in this book do the heavy lifting. Rika's internal monologue in engrossing, genuinely making you feel as if you're descending down this spiral with her. While Kajii's way of speech is so captivating that it drags you into her delusions just as it enchants Rika in the same way. Watching their relationship play out, supporting each other, destroying each other, is so enthralling to flick thorough and this is largely owed to the fabulous translation of this work.
It is impeccably written, managing to create the most engrossing first hundred pages that I have ever read in my entire life. It explores its politics of patriarchy and the expectations society places on women with such clarity while still rich metaphors and texture which is so impressive. If there's one thing you cannot fault, it is how much of amazing job Polly Barton did in translating it. That alone sees it through to the end for me.
But, the book is plotted very strangely, seeming to end far earlier than it does, and then using the remaining pages to answer questions I didn't really feel I needed to know the answer for. And in that filler, I found myself growing tired of this narrative. If it had been skimmed down to 200-300 at the most pages, then ultimately you'd get a much more tighter experience that hammers in its themes and narrative.
That for me is what stops me absolutely adoring this book. While the good are fantastically good, the whole book seems over bloated and frankly dull in sections. That doesn't mean I didn't have a good time with it - and if Japanese feminist literature with a true crime edge is at all your thing, then please give Butter a try, it's worth it - but on the whole, I've left feeling worn by it in a way I didn't expect.
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
laurenabayne's review
3.25
I want to preface my review by stating that I am an American reviewer. I am from the Midwest, and I'm reviewing this book specifically for American audiences.
For those enticed by the title and the promise of murder, it disappoints on that front. There is no murder here; the "did she do it" narrative is minimal and predictable. It's easy to see how Rika gets duped by Kajii, but readers will not fall into the spell. You'll be rooting for Rika to break out of her infatuation more than anything else. The pacing itself was a bit rough; the chapters were far too long, and the switching in POV in the third act was jarring. I found myself bored throughout reading, even with the stunning descriptions of food.
Obviously this book was written for Japanese audiences, but international audiences should take care while reading. The discussion of size may be triggering - when Rika is at her heaviest, she is still about 130 pounds. As for the predominant role of butter in Kajii's culinary allure, it will be hard for Americans to fully appreciate the Japanese tastebuds of the characters, since butter is so prevalent in our society. My rating is not at all based on this, it is based on what I wrote above, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was only my second time reading a translated book, so I am glad that NetGalley helped me expand my reading horizons :)
Graphic: Misogyny, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship