Kam
So this was interesting. VERY interesting. I don’t think it says anything truly new about feminism, misogyny, and the patriarchy, especially during the time I’m writing this review (December 2025), but it is so very ILLUSTRATIVE of the harms that misogyny and the patriarchy wreak on women that it’s still (sadly) relevant. It does one good to remember, though, that while one may find oneself relating deeply to what happens to the women in book, this IS a Japanese novel, and the author is reacting to the patriarchal systems and misogyny in that country’s culture, which are somewhat different from what exists in other countries. Someone from the West or a more Westernized country might read this novel and think that some of the women in it are acting illogically, but it’s important to remember that what might seem nonsensical may in fact be rather common, given the immense constraints women in Japan operate under thanks to how deeply patriarchal the culture is.
But aside from that, which is probably the most obvious thing this novel does, I also appreciated how it portrays the harm the patriarchy does to men as well. While it’s easy to want to hate the men in this novel because the patriarchy grants them greater privileges than the women, that same system constrains them too, and hurts them by defining what is considered “masculine” and by defining how such masculinity must be performed in one’s life. The male characters suffer because they are required to act a certain way, or are forced to remain silent on certain things, because the patriarchy dictates that to NOT act in that way, or to speak up in certain circumstances on certain topics (positively in some cases, negatively in others) may be viewed as “unmanly” and therefore they will be shamed for it. The patriarchy, then, is a double-edged sword, and can hurt everyone who is forced to operate under it, regardless of their sex or gender.
Speaking of constraints, it’s a pity that the author didn’t expand upon the many instances of sapphic desire in this novel. Or it’s possible they might have, and the constraints and vagaries of translation made things less explicit in English than they would normally be in Japanese - translation can be finicky like that. But a part of me wishes those aspects had been explored a bit more, given the protagonist’s history, her best friend’s history, and the way sapphic desire (or the idea of it) is used towards the latter end of this novel.
The highlight of this novel, though, is definitely the descriptions of the food, and how it is used as a narrative tool throughout the story. In some cases, it is used as a point of contention between characters; in other cases it is used to bring characters closer together. In most cases, though, it is used as a method to develop characters, granting the reader insight into their mental state and their opinions and ideas. It also helps that a lot of the dishes described, especially in the beginning, are actually easy to replicate: the butter rice with soy sauce, in particular, has gone viral on social media due to its simplicity and the relative ease of acquiring the ingredients.
Overall, this novel was a very fascinating read. While some readers might look at the synopsis and expect something along the lines of The Silence of the Lambs, this is not that kind of novel. Instead, it uses the connection between the protagonist and the serial killer to illustrate the way the patriarchy hurts women, but also men. While these are themes that have been tackled before, it is always interesting to read about how the troubles of the patriarchy manifest in specific cultures - and realize that the ways it oppresses and harms people remain sadly relevant to this day.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.
So this was interesting. VERY interesting. I don’t think it says anything truly new about feminism, misogyny, and the patriarchy, especially during the time I’m writing this review (December 2025), but it is so very ILLUSTRATIVE of the harms that misogyny and the patriarchy wreak on women that it’s still (sadly) relevant. It does one good to remember, though, that while one may find oneself relating deeply to what happens to the women in book, this IS a Japanese novel, and the author is reacting to the patriarchal systems and misogyny in that country’s culture, which are somewhat different from what exists in other countries. Someone from the West or a more Westernized country might read this novel and think that some of the women in it are acting illogically, but it’s important to remember that what might seem nonsensical may in fact be rather common, given the immense constraints women in Japan operate under thanks to how deeply patriarchal the culture is.
But aside from that, which is probably the most obvious thing this novel does, I also appreciated how it portrays the harm the patriarchy does to men as well. While it’s easy to want to hate the men in this novel because the patriarchy grants them greater privileges than the women, that same system constrains them too, and hurts them by defining what is considered “masculine” and by defining how such masculinity must be performed in one’s life. The male characters suffer because they are required to act a certain way, or are forced to remain silent on certain things, because the patriarchy dictates that to NOT act in that way, or to speak up in certain circumstances on certain topics (positively in some cases, negatively in others) may be viewed as “unmanly” and therefore they will be shamed for it. The patriarchy, then, is a double-edged sword, and can hurt everyone who is forced to operate under it, regardless of their sex or gender.
Speaking of constraints, it’s a pity that the author didn’t expand upon the many instances of sapphic desire in this novel. Or it’s possible they might have, and the constraints and vagaries of translation made things less explicit in English than they would normally be in Japanese - translation can be finicky like that. But a part of me wishes those aspects had been explored a bit more, given the protagonist’s history, her best friend’s history, and the way sapphic desire (or the idea of it) is used towards the latter end of this novel.
The highlight of this novel, though, is definitely the descriptions of the food, and how it is used as a narrative tool throughout the story. In some cases, it is used as a point of contention between characters; in other cases it is used to bring characters closer together. In most cases, though, it is used as a method to develop characters, granting the reader insight into their mental state and their opinions and ideas. It also helps that a lot of the dishes described, especially in the beginning, are actually easy to replicate: the butter rice with soy sauce, in particular, has gone viral on social media due to its simplicity and the relative ease of acquiring the ingredients.
Overall, this novel was a very fascinating read. While some readers might look at the synopsis and expect something along the lines of The Silence of the Lambs, this is not that kind of novel. Instead, it uses the connection between the protagonist and the serial killer to illustrate the way the patriarchy hurts women, but also men. While these are themes that have been tackled before, it is always interesting to read about how the troubles of the patriarchy manifest in specific cultures - and realize that the ways it oppresses and harms people remain sadly relevant to this day.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.