Butter The No 1
By Asako Yuzuki

THE NUMBER ONEand SUNDAY TIMESand BESTSELLING SENSATIONWINNER OF WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER AWARD 2025A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat'and SUNDAY TIMES A cult phenomenon'and iNEWS Took the literary world by storm'and BBC A killer Japanese novel'and THE TIMES'I have been glued toand Butter' NIGEL SLATERThe cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story, and translated by Polly Barton.There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who 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. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can't resist writing back.Rika, 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 masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, 'The Konkatsu Killer', Asako Yuzuki'sand Butterand is a vivid, gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.'It isn't entirely clear whether to read the novel or devour it'and OBSERVER Readers around the world are finding themselves utterly captivated'DAILY MAIL I really enjoyed it'and MEERA SYAL, onand BBC Between the Covers'Compelling, delightfully weird'and PANDORA SYKES'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original'and ERIN KELLY'You'll be craving rice, butter and soy sauce in no time'STYLIST Nothing short of ingenious'and iNEWS Ambitious and unsettling'GUARDIAN'Luscious … I devoured this'and IMOGEN CRIMP'A salty morsel with one hell of a bite' ALICE SLATERAsako Yuzuki's book 'Butter' was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2025-01-06.