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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki
7 reviews
book_artiste's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Enjoyed the inclusion of feminist themes and think they were insightful from the perspective of women in Japan, but otherwise there were no "hot-takes" or new information for me in terms of this theme. Really enjoyed, however, how the plot was so well linked to this theme and did well to address many different issues in a natural way (didn't feel forced/performative).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infertility, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Mental illness
NOTE: mislabeled trigger warnings as graphic, these are mainly moderate to mild but be aware these themes exist in the bookminimicropup's review
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This felt like a made-for-me story, I loved it so much. I miss this world and these characters, especially Rika.
Energy: Cautious. Insightful. Suffusive.
Scene: 🇯🇵 Various Tokyo districts and Niigata, Japan
Perspective: We follow a journalist in their day-to-day life. Work success is their sole ambition until a rare interview with an accused serial killer catalyzes a re-examination of their life and how society's expectations have prevented them from embracing their Best Life. We also get a snippet of their bestie, who has a different Best Life, and how they navigate those expectations.
🐩 Tail Wags: All of it... Food as a metaphor. The characters, both likeable and unlikeable. The slow burn with meaning. How both men and women suffer under societal expectations. And those foodie descriptions 🤤
🤔 Random Thoughts:
I went in expecting a food horror, but it wasn’t that. It’s literary fiction with tastes, textures, smells, and visuals. I’d describe this as a subtle, profound, symbolic exploration of domesticity, service to others, and true happiness and success.
Slow burn character and societal study, using food to explore different themes. It’s meandering, kind of random, just existing. It could read as dull if you don’t like that style.
There’s room for reader interpretation and alliance with different characters and their values, this could be a good book club discussion book.
----
🎬 Tale-Telling: Poetic, meticulous (in a good way), reflective, with a touch of surrealism.
🤓 Reader Role: Thrown into the story. Exploring the themes, messages, and existential questions with Rika and her friend Reiko.
🗺️ World-Building: Rich, sensory, abundantly detailed but not overexplainy. Tranquil yet gritty, even disgusting sometimes. Immersive and cinematic. Tiny bit of info-dumping with stations, but glad they were included so I could explore via YouTube & Google Earth.
🔥 Fuel: Emotional investment in character transformations– whether you like ‘em or not, how will this year play out for them? Will Rika and Reiko grow apart or closer? Will Rika choose to stay in her relationship or move on? Will she be able to publish her interviews with an accused serial killer? Is the accused a killer or something worse?
📖 Cred: Semi-realistic with hyper-realistic moments and a sprinkling of absurdist pointlessness
🚙 Journey: Slow burn gradually unfolding in complex layers. Snuggled in a thunderstorm, working on a favourite hobby, contemplating how things could have been.
Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Wintery nights. Soft snores. Ambient office sounds. Cigarette smoke and coffee. Fresh butter. Train announcements. Paper grocery bags. Wet soil. Smokiness. Cumin. Fried meat. Cake baking. Ramen slurps. Roast turkey. Sounds of home and comfort.
- Bizarro melting into slice-of-life literary fiction.
- Found family and friendships
- Social commentary around gender roles and failures of traditional indicators of success and happiness
Content Heads-Up: Body shaming (fat). Fertility struggles. Murder. Fatphobia. Double standards. Misogyny. Toxic gender roles. Adult/minor relationship. Escort/sex work. Pedophilia (stalking, molestation; recall). Loss of parent. Stroke. Hit and run. Emotional incest. Narcissism.
Rep: Fat. Thin. Voluntarily childfree. Involuntarily childless. Japanese. Queer. Cisgender. Heterosexual.
📚 Format: Library Digital
🤩 Potential Fav of 2024
🤩 Potential Fav of 2024
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Infertility and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship
kayleighoneillonwheels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Rape
sakisreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I WAS (AND AM) OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK. I am going to make it my entire personality for a month 🙂↔️
The sheer misogyny in Japan was evident throughout this book and made me angry (but not surprised).
Relationships wise…I’m not going to lie, Rika finding herself better away from Makoto got me excited 😂 I also LOVED Reiko’s borderline queer love for Rika 🏳️🌈 Say gay!
I also thoroughly understood how Rika could be pulled into Manako Kajii’s charms; there was something inherently interesting and inviting about her 😳 I obviously didn’t agree with her politics but felt myself feeling sorry for her and sympathising with her!
A truly 5 star read for me, thank you ✨ Off to do lots of research into the true story 🙊
The sheer misogyny in Japan was evident throughout this book and made me angry (but not surprised).
Relationships wise…
I also thoroughly understood how Rika could be pulled into Manako Kajii’s charms; there was something inherently interesting and inviting about her 😳 I obviously didn’t agree with her politics but felt myself feeling sorry for her and sympathising with her!
A truly 5 star read for me, thank you ✨ Off to do lots of research into the true story 🙊
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, and Toxic relationship
katndrsn's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Suicide
Minor: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
laurenabayne's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
If you enjoyed reading Sweetbitter or Milk Fed, this book is for you. It's the same sort of highbrow, over-the-top description of food and use of food as metaphor that will be devoured (pun intended) by arty readers. Like Sweetbitter, Rika embarks on a journey of learning her own tastes and limits, spurred on by an enigmatic individual. Like Milk Fed, this book confronts the experience of women in a world of men and the impact of female beauty standards. Yet this book is uniquely its own beast.
I want to preface my review by stating that I am an American reviewer. I am from the Midwest, and I'm reviewing this book specifically for American audiences.
For those enticed by the title and the promise of murder, it disappoints on that front. There is no murder here; the "did she do it" narrative is minimal and predictable. It's easy to see how Rika gets duped by Kajii, but readers will not fall into the spell. You'll be rooting for Rika to break out of her infatuation more than anything else. The pacing itself was a bit rough; the chapters were far too long, and the switching in POV in the third act was jarring. I found myself bored throughout reading, even with the stunning descriptions of food.
Obviously this book was written for Japanese audiences, but international audiences should take care while reading. The discussion of size may be triggering - when Rika is at her heaviest, she is still about 130 pounds. As for the predominant role of butter in Kajii's culinary allure, it will be hard for Americans to fully appreciate the Japanese tastebuds of the characters, since butter is so prevalent in our society. My rating is not at all based on this, it is based on what I wrote above, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was only my second time reading a translated book, so I am glad that NetGalley helped me expand my reading horizons :)
I want to preface my review by stating that I am an American reviewer. I am from the Midwest, and I'm reviewing this book specifically for American audiences.
For those enticed by the title and the promise of murder, it disappoints on that front. There is no murder here; the "did she do it" narrative is minimal and predictable. It's easy to see how Rika gets duped by Kajii, but readers will not fall into the spell. You'll be rooting for Rika to break out of her infatuation more than anything else. The pacing itself was a bit rough; the chapters were far too long, and the switching in POV in the third act was jarring. I found myself bored throughout reading, even with the stunning descriptions of food.
Obviously this book was written for Japanese audiences, but international audiences should take care while reading. The discussion of size may be triggering - when Rika is at her heaviest, she is still about 130 pounds. As for the predominant role of butter in Kajii's culinary allure, it will be hard for Americans to fully appreciate the Japanese tastebuds of the characters, since butter is so prevalent in our society. My rating is not at all based on this, it is based on what I wrote above, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was only my second time reading a translated book, so I am glad that NetGalley helped me expand my reading horizons :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
cphunter's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. A commentary on women’s bodies, on food, on cultural traditions, on interpersonal relationships, on power dynamics and gender imbalance, on obsession, on manipulation, on rurality vs urban living. The descriptions of food were literally mouthwatering and the plot was unlike anything else I’ve read.
It was quite long but very readable. I wish there had been more insight and commentary on queerness as it was touched upon very loosely, but these aren’t criticisms as both shortening the book and including queerness into its commentary on relationships/desire/gender expectations, would have made it a very different book.
It was quite long but very readable. I wish there had been more insight and commentary on queerness as it was touched upon very loosely, but these aren’t criticisms as both shortening the book and including queerness into its commentary on relationships/desire/gender expectations, would have made it a very different book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Death of parent, Suicide, Murder, Violence, and Animal cruelty
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