A review by rubybereading
Butter by Asako Yuzuki

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• 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

I was going back and forth on whether to give this 5 stars or not, but my son told me to stand on it, so I’m standing on it. This book initially came onto my radar last summer when I was looking for something to fulfill the “food-related” book prompt in a reading challenge I’m doing, but it was only because it was a book club pick that I ended up doing it and I’m so glad I did. I adored so much about this book. First, the food. Omg! The way they described cooking and eating and how those simple acts, that we perform daily, engages and interacts with all the senses was immaculate. And as someone who already loves butter, especially, it made me want to eat it straight out of a bowl like it was ice cream. Lol! Omg! I was in heaven listening to it. I also think that made it even better. This was an audiobook listen for me, and the way the narrator’s accent and tone played into it almost felt sensual. Don’t judge me, but it did! Lol! It was so satisfying. It was tf sublime! My God!! Smh! That set the tone for the whole book for me. There wasn’t much they could do to ruin it for me after that. I already love to cook, and this gave me so many new menu ideas to try and I can’t wait! There was actually a time back in my early 20s that I considered going to culinary school (Johnson & Wales, specifically, since I was living in Charlotte at the time), and this made me want to consider it again. That’s what the vivid food descriptions did for me. And I wasn’t taught how to cook growing up. I became “self-taught” in my late teens/early 20s (via Food Network, google, and mostly trial and error) at the behest of my boyfriend at the time and have loved cooking ever since, so those parts of the story really resonated with me. Plus I just loved it!  Lawd! Anyway, aside from that, this was the first book in a while that I cared about the characters in the way I did with this one. I felt a similar level of compassion I’d feel for myself or a friend that I love. Idk if it was the mommy/daddy issues, the struggles with weight and body image, or the issues they confronted with regard to self-reflection, self-discovery, self-acceptance, and self-confidence, but I saw a lot of myself in them—ALL 3 of the main female leads, Rika, Reiko, and even the “villain”, Kajii. I saw so much of myself, my friends, and siblings/aunts/cousins in them, and it was surprisingly very comforting. It was by no means a perfect composition, but I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the reading/listening experience. I want to buy a physical copy for my collection now.