WINNER OF WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025

THE NUMBER 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK

'A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat' THE SUNDAY TIMES

'I have been glued to Asako Yuzuki's new novel Butter' NIGEL SLATER

The 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, 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.

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's Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

'Compelling, delightfully weird' PANDORA SYKES

'Luscious... I devoured this' IMOGEN CRIMP

'A salty morsel with one hell of a bite' ALICE SLATER

'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY

'Nothing short of ingenious' INEWS

'Ambitious and unsettling' GUARDIAN

'It isn't entirely clear whether to read the novel or devour it' OBSERVER

Asako Yuzuki's book 'Butter' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-11-25.

• We started tracking this book on December 11, 2023.
• This book was £7.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 6 times in the past 476 days.
• The current price of this book is £7.99 last checked 3 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past 90 days is £4.99.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is £0.99.
• The lowest price to date was £0.99 last reached on December 24, 2024.
• This book has been £0.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was £8.49 last reached on March 14, 2025.
• This book has been £8.49 one time since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionWomen's FictionMystery, Thriller & SuspenseCrime
• Literature & FictionLiterary FictionMystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Literature & FictionLiterary FictionPsychological
• Literature & FictionWomen's FictionMystery, Thriller & SuspenseDetective

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
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• Print Length: 448 Pages
• File Size: 12 KB