Japanese Literature discussion

July's choice is Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki, translated into English by Polly Barton. (I've started this one—it's mostly about food, at least for the first third. :-)

Spoiler tags, so I don't step on anyone's toes copying the blurb text this month:

(view spoiler)[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.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center 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, entertaining no visitors. 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, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve just finished The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa which is also about cooking, recipes, the positive effect of preparing food on mental health. I don’t know if this group has read this book previously but I’m afraid I found the density of cooking references rather annoying. I will try Butter though - I’m a new member and up for anything!

I put this on hold at my library when it was first voted in as the July read & it just came in a few days ago. Of course, several other books came in for me at the same time, but I plan on making this a priority.

I received this book as a gift for my birthday and started reading it this week. Happy to see it's a book club pick for July and I can join the discussion! This is going to be an interesting one, I think.

I'm on page 127, (view spoiler)[and whew. I had no idea what to expect, and early on there were a few parts (about eating and people's weights) that made me want to put the book down and never touch it again. I read some reviews and was reassured that it's a feminist take, and I have to say it soon started heading in the right direction. This book is definitely forcing me to confront some aspects of Japanese culture that I've always loathed but had buried somewhere deep inside. I'm curious to see what's going to happen - I don't want to get too hopeful that reading this book might become a bit of a healing experience. (hide spoiler)]

I read the book a few months ago and at first I didn't really know what to expect either, but then, from the many characters in this book, sentences emerge - between dishes and recipes - that somehow led me to reflections that were beyond both the plot and the characters themselves.
I think that's the reason why this book particularly stuck with me, especially since the blurb doesn't really do the book justice.

This book is currently 1.99 on Kindle if anyone is interested.

I finished chapter 9 last night and took a quick peek at chapter 10. This is getting exciting!

I’m not quite finished. (Chapter 14–Libro.fm says I’m 81% done.) If anyone is getting bogged down with Rika’s endless negotiations with Kaji (I was!), they end and the book gets much more exciting again. Just FYI. 😅

I finished the book a few days ago and am dying to know what you all think. I ended up marking quite a few paragraphs for various reasons. I have to say there were quite a few parts that resonated with me personally.

The ending (view spoiler)[I found underwhelming and somewhat anticlimactic though. Maybe I've become too influenced by other stuff I read - I was genuinely expecting at least one (not specific) character to go absolutely feral and it didn't happen lol.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm 87% done and this book feels endless! I'll come to read all of your opinions once I'm done with it, but I've struggled a lot so far - I ended up skimming most of the cooking/recipe descriptions as I was bored out of my mind..

I'm halfway done and am having a hard time going on with it. It started out fairly interesting, but is dragging now for me. I fully intended to finish it before its' due date on Monday but not sure I'll make it. Hopefully, it will pick up soon.

I finished it two days ago and I really enjoyed it. I loved how the author was able to keep the tense atmosphere throughout the whole story. I found the main character pretty fascinating in her complexity.

I really enjoyed this book - wasn't quite what I expected based on the blurb but it was interesting to read and had the most delicious and delightful food descriptions. That said I can see why some might not like it as much as it meanders along and seems occasionally to try too hard with the social/gender commentary that it loses its direction at times.

I’ve got a little more to go, but… *rice* stuffing? Really?

I finished it yesterday and I would agree with Carola's spoiler above.

Overall, I found it very slow and it dragged needlessly with all the food descriptions. I also got confused a few times when the scene changed (or maybe I was too disengaged and didn't notice? ^^")

I did enjoy the more fast paced parts though, and I noted down several parts that I found inspiring or thought-provoking. I liked the discourse on misogyny, but I would have wanted to see it developed more.

I quite enjoyed this as a non-glamourous portrayal of a psychopath, and really enjoyed the criticism of social/media treatment of women and crime in particular.

Akylina wrote: "I also got confused a few times when the scene changed (or maybe I was too disengaged and didn't notice? ^^")"

Yes! I was listening on audio and those transitions weren't marked at all. I was wondering if it was better in print.

starduest wrote: "I really enjoyed this book - wasn't quite what I expected based on the blurb but it was interesting to read and had the most delicious and delightful food descriptions. That said I can see why some..."

An English-language novel would certainly be more tightly edited. (Like you, I think I'd prefer that!) I'd actually prefer to drop some of the food descriptions, though not the recipes. I loved the social commentary, especially the linking of misogyny and fat phobia. Plus, I liked the way the author observed that Japanese weight standards for women are actively unhealthy. I've read several critiques that they're unrealistic, but few that they're actively harmful to women. Seems really problematic in a country where the government is trying to encourage women to have more children.

Alison wrote: "starduest wrote: "I really enjoyed this book - wasn't quite what I expected based on the blurb but it was interesting to read and had the most delicious and delightful food descriptions. That said ..."

I did wonder if I was reading that right, concerning the weight standards. Glad you brought that up.

Home cooking is the base line, and plays a central role, in the relationship between a journalist and a woman convicted of murdering three boyfriends and who is awaiting trial. From what I know, Japan is a country where making food with natural ingredients for someone is considered a great sign of affection and care, and is highly appreciated and valued by whoever receives that food.

The relationship between Rika, the journalist, and Keijii, the imprisoned woman, begins with conversations about food, the only ones the latter is willing to have. At first Rika, who does not give any importance to eating well or what to eat, is the weak figure in the relationship with a Keijii for whom good eating (in quality) is essential. As the interviews in prison take place, (view spoiler)[ the journalist incorporates cooking into her life, and this causes both her and her closest relationships to confront their pasts and presents. She becomes the strong figure in the relation (hide spoiler)]. The novel hooked me quite a bit.

Throughout the story there are several unexpected turns, they are not very sudden, but enough to change the flavor of the reading. Like usually happens to me when I read Japanese books, I empathize with all the characters and find it difficult to judge any of them. But, in my opinion, there is a continuous criticism throughout the story of the idea assumed in this world that being thin is equivalent to having a spirit of sacrifice and taking care of oneself, and that, if one gains weight (or is already fat), it is because one is abandoning oneself (or already has done so). In fact, for me, this book somehow aims to have us quit associating thinness with success and allow us to get back to a life of enjoying healthy and balanced food without further ado.

I just finished this today. And i absolutely agree that the book started out strong but became tedious with lengthy recipe descriptions. First I thought that it's maybe because I don't have any culinary interests that I am finding the recipes boring, but i can see that it has been a general impression for many. Overall I still liked the book, it was interesting and the underlying themes of misogyny, bodyshaming and ridiculous body and beauty standards fri women was nicely delivered through the story. I was hoping to read more about the murders though, so I was disappointed that it wasn't included in the book.

Note: Bruno Forzan is the translator of the Italian version of Butter
There are translations in French, Spanish, and others.