Butter

Manako Kajii is in custody awaiting trial. She is accused of murdering several men whom she allegedly lured with her cooking and who died under suspicious circumstances. There is a lot of public interest in the case, but Manako does not want to answer journalists’ questions. Rika Machida, who writes draft newspaper articles, asks her for a recipe in a letter, which turns out to be an excellent starting point for establishing contact with the food lover. Riko, who is not skilled at cooking, begins to visit restaurants and prepare simple meals based on Manako’s favourite ingredient, butter, following Manako’s instructions. During a milk shortage, butter became an expensive and rare ingredient in Japan. When Riko gains a few pounds due to her newfound enjoyment of food, she notices how Japanese society, saturated with strict, unrealistic beauty ideals, reacts to her. This culinarily flavoured novel, which will make many readers’ mouths water, explores the concept of physicality with a contemporary feminist approach. It is not just about the desire for food, but above all about an unstoppable hunger for closeness, friendship, and acceptance. Butter is definitely a work that feeds all our senses. (EZ)