Summary:
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom 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 master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?
My Thoughts:
Rika is a journalist who is consumed by her work. She either eats ramen or pre-made food from the convenience store, and her relationship with her boyfriend is distant at best. She's been writing to Kajii, hoping to get an exclusive interview, with no luck. But when she asks her for a recipe, Kajii suddenly becomes interested and wants to talk. Obsessed with trying to get Kajii to talk about her upcoming trial for her crimes, Rika ends up sucked into her world of cooking, and even starts to wonder if Kajii is even guilty at all . . .
This book was very slow to get into, which I'm not sure if it was the translation or the writing style. The main character is the average hard worker, and it's interesting to see all of this from her perspective. She becomes almost brainwashed by Kajii in her hunt for the truth, and it's easy to see why. Kajii can be very charismatic and convincing. Rika's best friend sees through this though, and tries to get her to see this as well. This is the most compelling part of the book, and shows how easily someone can be brainwashed. That almost makes up for how difficult it was to get through this novel.
My Rating: 2 stars
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