Butter

A highly fresh and original novel following a journalist in contemporary Japan as she investigates a serial killer convicted of luring wealthy men in with her cooking classes only to seduce,murderand rob themand a gripping exploration of misogynyobsessionand the pleasures and pressures of food Journalist Rika Machida is facing an unusual assignment: she is tapped to investigate serial killer Manako Kajiinotorious for drawing rich men in with her pricey cooking classesonly to murder them and move on to the next. Kajii refuses to cooperate with the press until Rika writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipea correspondence and ongoing series of conversations between the two women that sees Rika transforming as she becomes closer to Kajiitaking on some of her confidence and strength but also some of her deadly intention. Game on. Set in 2011when dairy product shortages across Japan made butter a hot commodityButter depicts a vividpanoramic view of contemporary Japan as seen through a diverse cast of Japanese women. An endlessly entertaining and sharply insightful look at the relationships between women and how they engage and challenge one anotherrevealing the many contradictions and complexities in the processAsako Yuzuki’s novel is filled with intoxicating descriptions of food and the body that also looks deeply at its connection to the sinistercriminaland tabooits enduring power and delight.