Description

‘Compelling, delightfully weird, often uncomfortable’ PANDORA SYKES

‘Unputdownable, breathtakingly original’ ERIN KELLY

‘I have been glued to Asako Yuzuki’s new novel Butter’ NIGEL SLATER

‘A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat’
THE TIMES

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, “The Konkatsu Killer”, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

‘Luscious … I devoured this’ IMOGEN CRIMP

‘A salty morsel with one hell of a bite’ ALICE SLATER

‘Nothing short of ingenious’ INEWS

‘Ambitious and unsettling’
GUARDIAN

‘It isn’t entirely clear whether to read the novel or devour it’ OBSERVER

Publisher Review

'Compelling, delightfully weird, often uncomfortable ... Butter will churn your brain and your stomach with panache' Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? 'An unputdownable, breathtakingly original novel ... I will be spoon-feeding Butter to every woman I know' Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key 'Yuzuki uses luscious food writing to fuel a nuanced and intelligent exploration of contemporary womanhood ... I devoured this dark and delicious novel' Imogen Crimp, author of A Very Nice Girl 'A delectable meditation on appetite, fatphobia and misogyny in modern Japan ... a salty morsel with one hell of a bite' Alice Slater, author of Death of A Bookseller 'Even descriptions like 'a perfect masterpiece' and 'creme de la creme' are inadequate for a book like this' Croissant magazine 'An indubitable masterpiece' Daisuke Yoshida, author Shosetsu Shincho 'With writing masterful enough that you gulp it down breathlessly ... this is a tour de force that will leave readers satisfied' Ryo Asai, author of The Kirishima Thing 'Food, gender and violence are explored in this delicious novel' i-D 'Its descriptions of food are salivatingly well-written... A very high-calorie read' Shosetsu Gendai 'Using food as its entry point, Butter presents a detailed exploration of all the things that bind us' Elle Japan ' A reading experience so rich it was like being swathed in melted butter' Fujin Koron