Butter HB

Food, appetite and public judgement drive Asako Yuzuki's novel, in which a Tokyo journalist sets out to interview a woman imprisoned in connection with the deaths of men she cooked for. Translated from Japanese by Polly Barton, the story uses meals as its main instrument: each dish that passes between reporter and prisoner shifts the balance between them, and the investigation gradually turns back on the journalist's own habits, friendships and body. Yuzuki draws on the public fascination that surrounded a real Japanese criminal case to examine how women are scrutinised for what they eat, how they look and how much pleasure they allow themselves. Inside the book: • A Japanese literary novel of crime, class and appetite, translated into English by Polly Barton • Cooking and eating described so that the meals carry the emotional weight of the plot • A sharp look at press misogyny and at the scrutiny placed on women's bodies • A hardcover edition from Harper for readers building a contemporary fiction shelf Suited to readers of translated Japanese fiction, literary crime and food writing, available from Boipoka.