‘Butter' serves intriguing mix of food, social stereotypes and murder
By Asako Yuzuki
(4th Estate)
Manako Kaji sits in the Tokyo Detention Centre.
She is accused of the murders of three men.
The self-professed gourmet cook is believed to have exploited lonely businessmen, which ultimately led to their demise.
Journalist Rika is fighting for her voice to be heard in a male-dominated newsroom.
She wants to write her own stories, instead of handing over all her leads and research to her colleagues.
Kaji refuses to give interviews to anyone, but Rika believes if she can get her to talk, she'll get her big break.
Rika's best friend, Reiko, gives her the idea to ask Kaji for a recipe in the hopes that it will get her to open up.
This international best-selling novel is inspired by the real case of the 'Konkatsu Killer' and is set amid a butter shortage crises in Japan.
There are two things that Kaji cannot tolerate — feminists and margarine.
Through Kaji's coaxing, Rika starts to experiment in the kitchen and trying out some of Kaji's favourite food spots or top dishes around the city.
Rika retraces Kaji's life and starts cooking some of the meals she posted on social media.
What starts off as a small interest in Kaji, quickly spirals into a full-blown obsession.
It affects not only Rika, but those around her too.
If you're a foodie, you'll enjoy all the talk of delectable meals.
For someone who is not exposed to Asian culture, the ingredients and dishes mentioned can seem overwhelming at times.
One of the biggest hurdles in reading the book is getting over the similar sounding names such as Rika, Reiko and her husband Ryosuke.
The book also deals with a lot of social stereotypes in Japan.
Rika is judged more harshly when she puts on weight.
This is also the crux of the obsession with Kaji — how could a woman who looked like that have all these men falling for her?
Is Kaji's only crime that she indulged in decadent meals with men who already had health complications or is she a master manipulator?
— This book is available from Exclusive Books for R305.
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The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
‘Butter' serves intriguing mix of food, social stereotypes and murder
Butter By Asako Yuzuki (4th Estate) Manako Kaji sits in the Tokyo Detention Centre. She is accused of the murders of three men. The self-professed gourmet cook is believed to have exploited lonely businessmen, which ultimately led to their demise. Journalist Rika is fighting for her voice to be heard in a male-dominated newsroom. She wants to write her own stories, instead of handing over all her leads and research to her colleagues. Kaji refuses to give interviews to anyone, but Rika believes if she can get her to talk, she'll get her big break. Rika's best friend, Reiko, gives her the idea to ask Kaji for a recipe in the hopes that it will get her to open up. This international best-selling novel is inspired by the real case of the 'Konkatsu Killer' and is set amid a butter shortage crises in Japan. There are two things that Kaji cannot tolerate — feminists and margarine. Through Kaji's coaxing, Rika starts to experiment in the kitchen and trying out some of Kaji's favourite food spots or top dishes around the city. Rika retraces Kaji's life and starts cooking some of the meals she posted on social media. What starts off as a small interest in Kaji, quickly spirals into a full-blown obsession. It affects not only Rika, but those around her too. If you're a foodie, you'll enjoy all the talk of delectable meals. For someone who is not exposed to Asian culture, the ingredients and dishes mentioned can seem overwhelming at times. One of the biggest hurdles in reading the book is getting over the similar sounding names such as Rika, Reiko and her husband Ryosuke. The book also deals with a lot of social stereotypes in Japan. Rika is judged more harshly when she puts on weight. This is also the crux of the obsession with Kaji — how could a woman who looked like that have all these men falling for her? Is Kaji's only crime that she indulged in decadent meals with men who already had health complications or is she a master manipulator? — This book is available from Exclusive Books for R305.
TimesLIVE
22-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
‘Butter' is a novel to be savoured slowly but it can also be devoured
Butter Asako Yuzuki Fourth Estate I received Butter courtesy of Exclusive Books, and I devoured it with the same eagerness and delight that threads through its pages. Asako Yuzuki's novel is a feast of sharp social commentary, rich sensory detail and unsettling intimacy. I couldn't put it down. So entranced was I by her descriptions that I even tried a few of the dishes mentioned, most notably the rice with butter and soy sauce. Perhaps I used the wrong kind of butter, because in the end, reading about the dish proved far more satisfying than eating it. 'Men putting on weight is different from women putting on weight.' So declares the boyfriend of Rika Machida, a Tokyo-based journalist on the cusp of making history as the first woman on the editorial desk at the Shūmei Weekly. It's a seemingly offhand comment, but in Butter, Asako Yuzuki wields such moments like a cleaver, cutting straight through the fatphobia and quiet misogyny baked into everyday life. What follows is a compelling, genre-blending novel that interrogates gender, appetite, trauma and the politics of the body with a sharp, satirical edge. Loosely inspired by the real-life case of Kanae Kijima, dubbed the 'Konkatsu Killer,' a home cook convicted of murdering three male lovers, Butter reimagines her as Manako Kajii, or Kajimana. Like her real-life counterpart, Kajii is a target of relentless media body shaming. But beyond the headlines, Yuzuki builds a complex character: a culinary seductress whose gourmet tastes and unapologetic appetite spark both fascination and revulsion. When Rika, under pressure to land a sensational scoop, writes to Kajii requesting the recipe for an infamous beef stew — reportedly the last meal of one of her victims — it unexpectedly opens the door to a series of visits at the detention centre. What begins as journalistic curiosity evolves into something far more intimate and unsettling. When Kajii quips, 'There are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine,' Rika is both repelled and intrigued. Her encounters with Kajii stir questions about desire, denial and the burden placed on women to be both nurturing and ascetic, soft yet stoic. As Rika starts to indulge in the rich, buttery meals Kajii speaks of, her own weight begins to creep up, inviting the same misogynistic scrutiny faced by Kajii. The more she eats, the more blurred the lines become between observer and subject, journalist and accomplice. At times, Rika even catches glimpses of herself in Kajii, clouding her moral compass and sparking chilling self-reflection. 'Are you telling me all three men died of natural causes?' her best friend Reiko demands. 'Their demise brought on because they couldn't keep up with her lifestyle?' Yuzuki's greatest triumph is in framing the act of eating as its own kind of mystery, one that leads us back to childhood, family dynamics and emotional hunger. For both Rika and Kajii, the connection between food and fatherhood becomes a key to understanding their present lives. Butter is satisfying when it leans fully into its sensual, food-soaked prose. Yuzuki's descriptions are so decadent they practically melt off the page. 'This was a different kind of deliciousness,' she writes. 'A more blatant, forceful deliciousness, that took hold of her from the tip of her tongue, pinned her down, and carried her off to some unknown place.' In Butter, food is never just food. It is seduction. It is rebellion. It is shame. And it is survival. This is a novel to be savoured slowly … but also, perhaps, devoured.
IOL News
11-07-2025
- IOL News
Auction history made: Jane Birkin's original Hermès bag fetches R179 million
The very first Birkin handbag made for actress Jane Birkin sold for a whopping €8.58 million at Sotheby's Paris. Image: Instagram. In a breathtaking display of luxury and exclusivity, the original Birkin bag has set a new benchmark in the world of high fashion. Sold at a Sotheby's auction in Paris on Thursday, July 10, for a staggering €8.58 million (R179.8 million), the iconic black leather handbag once owned by late singer and actress Jane Birkin underlines the insatiable demand for unique luxury collectables. The bidding war, which lasted for just over 10 electrifying minutes, unfolded with bids coming in over the phones, online and in the room. Actress Jane Birkin with the very first Birkin handbag. Image: Instagram In the end, the handbag that changed fashion history was met with applause as it was sold to a private collector from Japan. The original Birkin bag, commissioned in 1984 for Jane Birkin by Hermes International SCA's then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, is now widely regarded as one of the most sought-after handbags in the world. It was born from a chance encounter on a flight when Birkin expressed her frustrations over the lack of spacious handbags to Dumas, leading him to sketch a design on a 'sick bag'. Little did they know that this chance encounter would give birth to a fashion phenomenon that transcends generations. As the hammer fell in the Paris auction house, the bag's sale shattered the previous record held by the Hermès Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28, which features 18-carat white gold and diamond hardware, which sold for a modest $510 000 in 2021. This time, the anonymous Japan-based buyer emerged victorious. 'Today it's the most sought-after bag that everybody dreams about,' reflected the seller, Catherine Baignères, who had cared for the bag for the past 25 years. She revealed online that the bag was kept in a safe environment, treated with the utmost care to preserve its allure and integrity. 'I had it in a safe-like location, appropriate temperatures, but occasionally took it out for some events,' she shared in an online report. Birkin owned the original bag for a decade before auctioning it off in 1994 to support the French Aids charity, Association Solidarité Sida. The item was then acquired by Baignères, who owned a luxury boutique in Paris and cherished it for the next 25 years. The original Birkin's unique provenance, coupled with its rich history, has transformed it into a cultural icon. According to Morgan Halimi, head of Bags and Fashion at Sotheby's, this sale is an 'impressive demonstration of the power of the legend' surrounding the Birkin bag. 'There is no doubt that the Original Birkin bag is a true one-of-a-kind, a singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible. "It is incredible to think that a bag initially designed by Hermès as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin has become the most desirable bag in history," said Halimi. With notable owners including the likes of Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, and Jennifer Lopez, the Birkin bag has solidified its status as a definitive status symbol. The original Birkin bag now holds the title of the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction, capturing the imaginations of fashion lovers and collectors.
