A review by whatsmomreading
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

We meet journalist Rika Machida at a crossroads in her life; her best friend, Reiko, is now married & wanting to plan for a family and Rika’s own career could start to take off if she can only get up there with her male colleagues. Using some advice from her friend, Rika manages to get an interview with Manako Kajii, a woman accused of murdering her 3 lovers despite there being no physical evidence linking her to their deaths. The case has stirred up age old misogyny in the Japanese media, with critiques focusing on Kajii’s weight and her love for finer foods. Rika begins a relationship with Kajii that begins to slowly consume her and those around her.

I went into this novel expecting it to focus more on the crimes Kajii committed but instead found myself deeply immersed in Rika’s world & observations of the gender roles still very much prevalent in modern day Japan. My in-laws are from Okinawa, Japan and after living with them for a year I felt like I had understood the expectations of being a homemaker but I didn’t fully grasp how deep those expectations were still in modern day Japan. Some of Rika’s observations on the roles of homemakers were honestly refreshing as someone who has doubted being a stay at home mom! 

As we are slowly drawn deeper in Kajii’s world I was still unsure as to who was in the right or wrong throughout this novel but I found the ending to be a great source of comfort for everyone. And don’t even get me start on the writing about the FOOD! I was left feeling hungry every time they described eating something.