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I don\u2019t read all the books that get a tonne of hype, but I try not to be prejudiced against them either. If a blogger or bookseller I know shares my taste \u2013 or even better, a friend \u2013 recommends a book to me, I\u2019ll give it a chance. And let\u2019s face it, Butter<\/i> by Asako Yuzuki<\/a> (translated by Polly Barton<\/a>) has been everywhere<\/i> this year. But thanks to a friend recommending it, I get it. Because it\u2019s really good. And even better, it contains a lot to talk about.<\/p>\n The narrative (mostly) follows Rika, a journalist at a prestigious weekly news magazine in Tokyo. Unmarried in her mid-30s, she is at once judged and admired for being a careerwoman \u2013 not an easy thing to be in Japan, we\u2019re told. She\u2019s the only woman in her department and works long hours, often seven days a week. She lives on junk food and sees her sort-of boyfriend Makoto only occasionally \u2013 usually when he is out drinking late and needs a nearby bed to sleep in.<\/p>\n Her best friend is Reiko, in some ways Rika\u2019s opposite. Reiko is married, cooks every night and has quit her job in PR while she tries to get pregnant. She\u2019s also full of curiosity and (genuinely) helpful advice for her friend.<\/p>\n With the prospect of a promotion on the horizon, Rika needs a big story and she might now have it. Convicted serial murderer Manako Kajii is awaiting retrial at Tokyo Detention House. She would date rich man, cook gourmet food for them, lived a lavish lifestyle thanks to them, and then one by one they died in mysterious circumstances. It was a huge sensational case, in part because Kajii was already Internet famous, with a popular blog about food and cooking.<\/p>\n Kajii has never given an interview to the press, but Rika thinks she can be persuaded by someone open to the possibility of her innocence. Rika is certain that all the press around Kajii\u2019s original trial was steeped in misogyny and fat-shaming, which may have influenced the jury.<\/p>\n Their first few meetings are fractious. Rika is initially repulsed by Kajii\u2019s appearance, her lack of embarrassment about living for pleasure, and her hatred for all other women. Kajii is in some ways deeply old fashioned. She believes women\u2019s role in life is to please men and she hates feminists. All life\u2019s ills, in her eyes, have their roots in women who didn\u2019t sufficiently look after their men. Women should dress, wear their hair and make up, cook and clean all how their men want.<\/p>\n But from the start there are contradictions, because Kajii also declares she lives for her own pleasure. She worked as a \u201cprofessional girlfriend\u201d because she loves sex and loves good food. Rika struggles to empathise with her subject, but is so fascinated by her that she doesn\u2019t spot the inconsistencies.<\/p>\n To better understand Kajii, Rika begins to cook recipes from her blog. This is where Yuzuki truly excels. The food descriptions are so mouth-watering and yet never took me out of the story. Rika is discovering the pleasure of eating from the basics first. She starts with steamed rice topped with butter and soy sauce. A simple recipe almost impossible to mess up (especially if you own a rice cooker). There\u2019s just one problem: Japan is in the grip of a butter shortage. All dairy, but especially butter, is near impossible to get hold of. Following a tip from Kajii she tracks down a single package of imported European butter. It\u2019s extremely expensive but Rika is immediately won over.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing Rika felt was a strange breeze emanating from the back of her throat. The cold butter first met the roof of her mouth with a chilly sensation, contrasting with the steaming rice in both texture and temperature. The cool butter clashed against her teeth, and she felt its soft texture right down into their roots. Soon enough, just as Kajii had said, the melted butter began to surge through the individual grains of rice. It was a taste that could only be described as golden.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Rika\u2019s friends and colleagues soon become concerned about her, for two very different reasons. She\u2019s gaining weight, an amount that is commented on so often it seems it must be a large amount until Rika gives her actual weight at one point. She is still small by Western standards. Japan\u2019s beauty standard for women is extreme, and women are judged harshly if they don\u2019t conform.<\/p>\n The other concern is that Rika has become mesmerised by Kajii. And this one might be legitimate, in that Kajii is clearly a skilled manipulator. But their odd relationship has opened Rika\u2019s mind to the option of not conforming to society\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n\n