The name of the book reads like a recipe book featuring butter. But the blurb shows a different picture – that of a serial killer whose words kill more than anything else.
I have to admit. I only picked up Asako Yuzuki’s Butter because of its name and cover. An animated/cartoon dead cow, the golden yellow hue of the paperback, and its large, bold lettering drew me in. And once I read through the novel, I had a much deeper appreciation (and hunger) for humble, high-quality, golden-yellow butter, so much so that I’ve started to make yummy herbed butter at home now (recipe to be on the blog later)!
But don’t get me wrong. By no means is Yuzuki’s book a mere collection of recipes. It’s a dark, poignant read that peels the layers of common society (Japanese in this case, but a lot of the ideas seem to apply to Indian society, too, in my not-so-humble opinion), revealing the deep-seated misogyny anf fatphobia that exists in day-to-day life.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki: A Review
Butter follows journalist Rika Machida, a journalist with Japan’s Shumei Weekly, who wants to cover the case of serial murder suspect Manako Kajii. Kajii is a popular food blogger whose recipes are as delicious as her writing. She knows how to evoke a sense of hunger with the choice of words she uses, making her writing racy, imaginative and above all, personal.
Rika tries for a month to schedule a meeting with Kajii, who constantly turns her down because she doesn’t want to meet media (and as we learn later, has a deep disdain for women). However, when she asks for a recipe, Kajii not only obliges, but agrees to schedule a meeting as well. Kajii’s case is intriguing for media and the masses because she is “neither young nor beautiful,” and weighs “over 70 kilos” or 155 pounds, and it’s shocking for the masses for someone like her to have a string of lovers. let alone just one.
As Rika starts meeting Kajii, she forms a deeper relationship with food, gaining gastronomic experiences with simple meals such as rice with soy sauce and butter – the only catch is that she uses high-quality dairy that might require her to spend a bomb.
Throughout the novel, Yuzuki intertwines sharp, unapologetic commentary about female body standards in the narrative, such as the sudden weight gain that Rika has, and the effect it has on the relationships with almost everyone around her. Another interesting aspect in the book is how Yuzuki explores the concept of womanhood in modern times – on the one hand, we have Rika and several women like her who are career-driven, count their calories and eat what is right, while on the other, there’s Kajii, who eats what she likes, who truly believes that women are meant for domestic chores and who scoffs at career-women such as Rika.
What makes Butter an intriguing read for me is the fact that it leaves little to imagination – you hear the protagonist, antagonist and all other characters’ thoughts just as they are. This is a refreshing change from common books and shows, where one is expected to infer meaning from subtext. Here, you get everything head-on, and that makes the read all the more worthwhile.
(Featured Image: Sorin Gheorghita on Unsplash)
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