A review by minimicropup
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

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
 
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Expand filter menu Content Warnings