Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Inspired by a true story – a female gourmet cook and serial killer
Butter
What you need to know before your trail
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?
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Tokyo
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.
Kanae Kijima was known as The Konkatsu Killer, is Japanese fraudster and serial killer. She was convicted for poisoning three would-be husbands and suspected of four more, spanning from 2007 to 2009.
She was given her nickname for her frequenting of “konkatsu” (marriage-hunting) website.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Butter
Destination/Location: Tokyo Author: Asako Yuzuki Departure: 2000s
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
