Butter

Defintely a unique book, and difficult to describe what it is actually about. Part murder mystery, part paen to cookery and food, part slice-of-life modern Japanese drama.

I sometimes found this a bit hard going (not exactly a read-in-one-sitting page turner) but comforting in parts and covering a wide range of themes. As well as the lyrical descriptions of food (that did want to make to learn to cook better!) there family relationships and reflections on mysogyny and the role and expectations of women and men (a suprising parallel with ‘Tehanu’ which I was reading at the same time).

Certainly deserves all the accolades that have been heaped upon it just for the sheer difference from anything else I have ever read.