Sunday book pick: Through tales of food and desire, ‘Butter’ depicts a deeply misogynistic Japan

Even “near-perfect” societies like Japan are entrenched in sexism and deeply misogynistic behaviour towards women. Asako Yuzuki draws in the reader to Butter with the promise of a deep dive into the mind of a female serial killer and, instead, delivers a cold serving of the cultural and social conditions in Japan that enable and nurture violence against women.

Translated by Polly Barton, Butter uses (what is considered) feminine skills of cooking and family rearing to illustrate the problems of segregating chores as per gender and the larger implications of it in civil society. In this novel, the author sets out to puncture the perception of the Japanese as perfect – and almost virtuous – people whose lives are governed by a steadfast devotion to external rules and regulations and internal checks and balances. What comes forth is a picture of a society that has manipulated its cultural exports so efficiently that it has convinced the rest of the world that this is the best that humans can get.

Inspired by a true story of the Konkatsu Killer, Yuzuki’s protagonist is journalist Rika who wants to interview Manako Kajii – gourmet chef and serial killer – for what she believes will give the general public a brand-new view into the infamous...

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