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Synopsis
Editorial Reviews Review “ A 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.” - Michiko Mamuro, Croissant “An indubitable masterpiece.” - Daisuke Yoshida, Shosetsu Shincho “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.” - Ryo Asai (author), Yomiuri Shimbun "Ambitious and unsettling … a thought-provoking and surprisingly feelgood take on friendship, transgressive pleasures, and society’s impossibly contradictory expectations of women." - Guardian "Exuberant, indulgent romp of a novel … Butter is a full-fat, Michelin-starred treat that moves seamlessly between an Angry Young Woman narrative and an engrossing detective drama and back again . Yuzuki has crafted an almost Dickensian cast of fleshy characters, with just as many surprise connections … Let this book bring you under its spell." - The Times (UK) “The lure of Butter is the lure of butter: rich, salty and unctuous. . . . Butter 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.” - Washington Post "Asako Yuzuki has turned [ Butter ] into not just a fascinating psychological puzzle but also a damning indictment of Japanese misogyny and fatphobia." - New York Times "It'll make your mouth water." - Irish Independent "An unputdownable, breathtakingly original novel about true crime, loneliness, and female appetite in all its tricky, transgressive glory. I will be spoon-feeding Butter to every woman I know." - Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key "A delectable meditation on appetite, fatphobia and misogyny in modern Japan – Butter is a salty morsel with one hell of a bite." - Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller "[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." - Publishers Weekly "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." - Library Journal Advance Reviews “The novel cleverly intertwines paeans to the pleasures of eating with indictments of Japan’s standards for women.” - New Yorker About the Author Asako Yuzuki was born in Tokyo in 1981. Her English-language debut, Butter , an international bestseller, was named Waterstones Book of the Year 2024 and took home the British Book Awards 2025 Debut Fiction Award. For Hooked , she received the Yamamoto Shūgorō Award.