FEATURE: Yuzuki's "Butter" achieves success abroad as feminist novel

Japanese novel about a serial killer hailed as feminist overseas

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, thought of as a crime novel in Japan, is celebrated in UK and elsewhere for exploring misogyny and body shaming.

FEATURE: Yuzuki's "Butter" achieves success abroad as feminist novel

"Butter," the cult Japanese bestseller by Asako Yuzuki inspired by the real-life case of a gourmet-turned-serial killer who was convicted of poisoning three of her male lovers, is being hailed overseas for its exploration of the themes of misogyny, fatphobia and sexism in modern Japan. The English translation of Yuzuki's book, based on the "Konkatsu Killer" Kanae Kijima, has created a buzz in Britain with sales reaching some 280,000 copies and a…