Winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year 2024

A selection of the BBC Book Club Between the Covers

“Exciting, pleasantly strange, often awkward” - PANDORA SYKES

“Uninterrupted, shockingly original” - ERIN KELLY

“I'm hooked on Asako Yuzuki's new novel, Butter” - NIGEL SLATER

“A sumptuous, Michelin-starred meal” - THE SUNDAY TIMES

The Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist trying to solve her case, inspired by a true story, and translated by Polly Barton.

The gourmet cook Manako Kajii is in Tokyo Detention Center, convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her exquisite homemade cooking. The case has captivated the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak to the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter requesting her recipe for beef stew and Kajii cannot resist replying.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late every night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As visits between her and the hardened Kajii continue, they seem to approach a masterclass in cooking rather than journalistic investigation. Rika hopes this culinary exchange will soften Kajii, but it seems she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something awakens in her body; could it be that she and Kajii have more in common than she initially thought?

Inspired by the true case of the convicted swindler and serial killer, “The Konkatsu Killer,” Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, chilling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the illicit pleasures of food in Japan.

“Sweet... I devoured this” - IMOGEN CRIMP

“A savory bite with a terrible bite” - ALICE SLATER

“Cannot be anything less than brilliant” - INEWS

“Ambitious and chilling” - GUARDIAN

“It is not entirely clear whether one should read the novel or consume it” - OBSERVER

Pages: 464, Year of Publication: 0101, Dimensions: 13.5x13.5cm