{"product_id":"butter-a-novel-of-food-and-murder-isbn-9780063236417","title":"Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe cult Japanese bestseller, a literary thriller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”—Asako Yuzuki’s \u003ci\u003eButter\u003c\/i\u003e is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“\u003c\/em\u003eA tale of loneliness and desire, full of an urgency that is proof of the author diving down deep within herself to grasp the darkness there. Even descriptions like ‘a perfect masterpiece’ and ‘crème de la crème’ are inadequate for a book like this.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichiko Mamuro, Croissant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e“An indubitable masterpiece.”  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaisuke Yoshida, Shosetsu Shincho\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With writing masterful enough that you gulp it down breathlessly despite its length, and full of the delight that comes from carrying you off to utterly unexpected destinations, this is a tour de force that will leave readers satisfied.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRyo Asai (author), Yomiuri Shimbun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Ambitious and unsettling … a thought-provoking and surprisingly feelgood take on friendship, transgressive pleasures, and society’s impossibly contradictory expectations of women.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Exuberant, indulgent romp of a novel \u003cstrong\u003e… \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eButter \u003c\/em\u003eis a full-fat, Michelin-starred treat that moves seamlessly between an Angry Young Woman narrative and an engrossing detective drama and back again\u003cstrong\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003eYuzuki has crafted an almost Dickensian cast of fleshy characters, with just as many surprise connections … Let this book bring you under its spell.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The lure of \u003cem\u003eButter\u003c\/em\u003e is the lure of butter: rich, salty and unctuous. . . . \u003cem\u003eButter\u003c\/em\u003e is both an exploration of the life of an unusual femme fatale and a subtle polemic against the impossible beauty standards to which women are held.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Asako Yuzuki has turned [\u003cem\u003eButter\u003c\/em\u003e] into not just a fascinating psychological puzzle but also a damning indictment of Japanese misogyny and fatphobia.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It'll make your mouth water.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An unputdownable, breathtakingly original novel about true crime, loneliness, and female appetite in all its tricky, transgressive glory. I will be spoon-feeding \u003cem\u003eButter\u003c\/em\u003e to every woman I know.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eErin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A delectable meditation on appetite, fatphobia and misogyny in modern Japan – \u003cem\u003eButter\u003c\/em\u003e is a salty morsel with one hell of a bite.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[Asako] Yuzuki takes a thrilling look into female relationships, revealing the complex nature of modern-day social conventions pertaining to a woman’s appearance and her place in the home, and enriching the proceedings with mouthwatering descriptions of food. Like the meals Yuzuki describes, this leaves the reader satiated.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An intriguing and unusual novel with a fresh perspective [that] defies categorization: part psychological exploration of misogyny and fatphobia, part social commentary on contemporary Japan and the roles and expectations of the women who live there.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal Advance Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The novel cleverly intertwines paeans to the pleasures of eating with indictments of Japan’s standards for women.”  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890763985125,"sku":"NP9780063236417","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063236417.jpg?v=1730234041","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/butter-a-novel-of-food-and-murder-isbn-9780063236417","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}