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Butter

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Butter

By: Asako Yuzuki
Narrated by: Hanako Footman
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About this listen

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SENSATION

WINNER OF WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER AWARD 2025

A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK

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

‘A cult phenomenon’ iNEWS

‘Took the literary world by storm’ BBC

‘A killer Japanese novel’ THE TIMES

'I have been glued to Butter’ NIGEL SLATER

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, and translated by Polly Barton.

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. 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, gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

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

‘Readers around the world are finding themselves utterly captivated’ DAILY MAIL

‘I really enjoyed it’ MEERA SYAL, on BBC Between the Covers

'Compelling, delightfully weird' PANDORA SYKES

'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY

'You’ll be craving rice, butter and soy sauce in no time’ STYLIST

‘Nothing short of ingenious’ iNEWS

‘Ambitious and unsettling’ GUARDIAN

©2017 Asako Yuzuki (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers Crime Thrillers Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense World Literature Thriller Crime Murder
All stars
Most relevant
Bought this book because the preview was interesting. As the story unfolds, the plot gets lost along the way and it feels like your reading a food bloogers website. The themes of misogyny, beauty standards, and loneliness were apparent but the execution fell short. Alot of telling in the story as opposed to inference. There was no 'caught off guard' moment to follow the suspense that was built up; and the minor growth of the protaganist feels rushed at the end. The first part of the story was the best part.

The beginning gets you hooked

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I have to admit, I love Japanese literature. This book is no exclusion, it’s so deep, so captivating, I felt like I went with heroine through everything she’s been through. And I don’t think it would be like that if not the reading. She did a heck of a job here ❤️

Magnificent book, wonderfully read

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The descriptions of Japanese society and food kept me going through this very long and, at times, arduous book. The misogyny in Japan runs deep and it’s easy to dislike the male characters in this book, but unfortunately the women are also hard to like. In the end I’m not sure what it was trying to say - but I stayed for dinner.

Japanese is a crazy place

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Story, cultural relevance, plays with genres narrative expertise, but overall it definitely made me hungry

Enthralling

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Literally left me drooling for butter. The food and recipes aspect was quite a surprise and I loved it. I could taste, smell and hear everything so clearly. An excellent allegory for modern life and murder…

Fantastic book, fantastic narration

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Lovely narration, perfect for this book. Beautifully written, multilayered, questioning, and intriguing. A subtle, food infused examination of female and male identity in contemporary Japanese society.

Food seduction

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So deliciously written and read. This book pulls apart and binds together the experience of feminism through the eyes of the main character who has had complex relationships with men. It confuses all the ideas of feminism through a narcissistic character and returns to them in new ways. Loved it.

Succulently examine both feminism and narcissism in parallel

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I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to draw parallels with my own society, but then to see the many, many unique differences. This book highlights the very real body image issues Japanese society faces.
Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy the audio. I felt the speaker focused too much on correctly annunciating and sounding pleasant that they didn’t truly read or understand the characters and it all felt really artificial. I ended up buying a hard copy because I felt she was mispertraying so many of the characters. Beautiful voice however

Captivating story, fascinating context

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thoughtful, insightful, engaging. both only were the characters interesting and the Storyline captivating, but it was reflective and thought provoking.

brilliant!

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'Butter' was a brilliant insight to the oft-forgotten because it is so commonplace, but nevertheless important discussion of what it is to be a woman perceived - that whether or not one is accused of a crime there is always a trial and a judgement by a jury one has no ability to select, rebuke, or confront if their observations and final say are unwarranted, harmful, or biased. Through Rika we see what it is to be on the 'correct' path (skinny, amendable, driven but not pushy, confident but not showing hubris (though she is still idolised for her independence) and then when exposed to how subjective concepts of what is acceptable or appropriate are misattributed to objective facts - begins to interrogate where does the person exist?

The narrator was able to brilliantly use tone and inflection to bring the wry yet indulgent text to life. Highly recommend for those who want to be reminded food is good and that we as people are not what we are perceived by externally or the result of what has happened to us. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Slow-burn (or slow-simmer, roast, sauteé..) to a thought-coma conclusion.

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