Butter - Asako Yuzuki

In Butter, Japanese author Asako Yuzuki weaves a sharp and absorbing literary mystery that explores the intersection of food, femininity, and criminality. Inspired by a real-life case, the novel follows Rika Machida, a reserved journalist, who becomes obsessed with the case of Manako Kajii—a woman accused of murdering several men, supposedly through her irresistible cooking.

Rika's investigation takes her on a journey through secret recipes, complex female relationships, and the dark truths that simmer beneath society’s expectations of women. What begins as a search for answers becomes a dissection of appetite—both culinary and emotional.

Main Themes of the Book

• Food and Power: Culinary skill is used as seduction, defiance, and control.
• Femininity and Appetite: The novel questions how women’s bodies, hunger, and pleasures are policed.
• Obsession and Identity: As Rika delves deeper into Manako’s life, she confronts her own repressed desires.
• Media and Truth: Explores how narratives are shaped by bias and sensationalism.
• Justice and Morality: The line between victim and perpetrator blurs in unsettling ways.

Why you should read this manga 

• Perfect for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Killing Eve.
• Offers a deliciously dark perspective on womanhood, autonomy, and desire.
• Blends true crime with gourmet obsession in a unique literary fusion.
• A feminist thriller that challenges expectations and refuses to moralize.
• Translated beautifully by Polly Barton, preserving the novel’s complexity and depth.

Butter is a richly layered novel that tempts and disturbs in equal measure. Asako Yuzuki turns a chilling murder case into a meditation on control, hunger, and femininity in modern Japan. Clever, provocative, and full of bite, Butter is not just a crime novel—it’s a feast of ideas. Readers looking for something bold, smart, and sensual will devour this story.