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laurenabayne's review against another edition
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
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