Wow.  I kind of don't know where to begin with this. Butter by Asako Yuzuki is a very different book for me in a year that was already marked by a big change in my reading tastes.

To briefly recap the plot, a journalist named Rika attempts to cozy up to an imprisoned woman named Manako Kajii, who is accused of seducing and then killing a number of older rich men.  Kajii captures the public's imagination and draws intense scrutiny as she does not conform to society's standards of beauty or a woman's "place." Rika's life is fundamentally impacted by this project in ways she did not expect. Kajii is a fascinating and complex character who doesn't actually appear directly much at all, but she is nonetheless a dark shadow looming large over the entire book and in the lives of everyone she encounters.

I waited until finishing this book before I went looking online to read analysis and other reviews because I wanted to go in blind and form my own opinions. A lot of people felt the book was too long, but I didn't. There were times where I thought Yuzuki might have written herself into a corner, but she always managed to keep the story flowing in a way that felt true and natural for the characters. 

I also think there are a LOT of people who take the themes and issues that Yuzuki addresses through her characters (like misogyny, feminism, and body shaming) and assume that she holds those same views.  I may be new to this style of writing, but it never ceases to surprise me how often readers fall into this trap. 

Butter is a deeply layered book that deals with the complexity of family, friendship, and romantic relationships, work/life balance, how women are viewed in society, as well as grief and loss. 

I loved this book, and I can't help but feel like this will be the starting point for what I suspect will be a long love affair with Asian fiction. I don't do ratings for my reviews on bookstagram, but for what it's worth, I did give this 5 stars on StoryGraph with absolutely no hesitation.