Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Butter by Asako Yuzuki is a slow-burning, quietly intense novel that blends true crime, food, and social commentary in a way that got under my skin. It follows a journalist digging into the story of a woman accused of seducing and murdering men with rich, indulgent home-cooked meals — but what starts as a crime story becomes something much deeper and more unsettling.
Best Japanese novels translated to English
Back to reading about Japan again Adrian, seriously? I know, but I couldn’t resist this one. It’s featured in the bestsellers list and was Waterstones book of the year in 2024 (it’s great to see translated literature winning a prize like that and doing so well). There’s been a bit of a buzz around it, I really liked the blurb, it’s got lots of talking points - it felt ripe for a read and a review.
I’ve read a other Japanese fiction recently, Murakami obviously, but this has more in common with Convenience Store Woman in that it’s a social critique as it looks at women who don’t conform to Japanese societal standards, with feminist tones, whilst the writing is also understated and minimal - an early shout out to the excellent work here of the translator, Polly Barton. Definitely one of the best Japanese novels translated to English that I’ve read.
Japanese Crime Novel
I would say early on that it’s certainly not your typical Japanese crime novel, if that’s what you’re after. I’d consider it more a slow burn literary thriller that mixtures true crime, food writing, all with a sharp feminist edge, as mentioned earlier. It sounds unusual, and not the type of book I’d normally go for - but I’m glad I did.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki is set in modern-day Tokyo, where a reserved journalist begins investigating a woman imprisoned for allegedly seducing and murdering wealthy men — all through the power of exquisite home cooking. But the deeper she digs, the lines become between fact and fabrication, guilt and projection, nourishment and manipulation become more blurred.
What begins as a true crime assignment turns into a strange, intimate correspondence between two women, and slowly becomes a study of appetite — for food, freedom, power, and something harder to name.
When we first meet Rika Machida she is hardworking and committed to her job, but when she visits Manako Kajii in prison to interview, she slowly starts to find herself pulled into a correspondence that causes her to question her own worldview - about societal expectations around women and food, about beauty and power in Japanese culture. Slowly, something begins to awaken in herself.
Slow-burn literary fiction
I took this book with me on a recent short break down the country to enjoy some peace and solitude, and I really connected with it. I found there to be something measured and introspective in the writing that suited my contemplative mood. I never felt like rushing it, and when I walked away from it I found it would linger with me.
I enjoyed the long monologues, and the dialogue felt realistic - characters were evasive with each other, and you could sense the subtext to the conversations. Oftentimes there was something unsettling to the story, like the truth was just hidden out of sight.
Food in Fiction
And the descriptions of food. It very much put in mind of another book I read recently that nearly had me ditching the veganism, also very much rooted in the cuisine of East Asia - Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner. Some of the descriptions of food became almost visceral -
The cool butter clashed against her teeth, and she felt its soft texture right down into their roots. […] It was a taste that could only be described as golden. A shining golden wave, with an astounding depth of flavor and a faint yet full and rounded aroma, wrapped itself around the rice and washed Rika’s body far away.
I found myself looking at my dairy free vitalite with disdain. Buttered noodles, rice cakes, even a Turkey at one stage, all sounding mouthwateringly delicious.
But there’s more to the food than just descriptions. What’s nourishing can become forbidden, and whilst meals can be shared, their meaning is something deeply personal. It becomes a way of exploring power dynamics, identity and resistance to societal expectations in Japan. Naturally, reading about this only deepened my interest in Nihon so thanks for that Asako Yuzuki.
Summary
I found this to be a totally unique, very Japanese novel that lingered with me after each reading. As a crime novel, it simmers rather than boils (excuse the pun) but if you like your novels introspective and a bit unsettling, I think you’ll enjoy this. There’s a lot about shame, about craving, and ultimately about connection in this book. Just be sure to have some food nearby when you read it - I must have consumed my own body weight in Garlic & Chilli Edamame before I was finished.
464 pages, Paperback
February 29, 2024 by Fourth Estate
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