I had a vague assumption of what the book would be like going in from the blurb on the front - it seemed like a typical murder mystery / serial killer novel. This is not a genre I am particularly interested in, despite going through a phase many years ago where I binged the first 3 seasons of Criminal Minds (I couldn't stick around without Gideon). But I picked this book up from the library because the cover design was good and I am shallow.
Fortunately, my assumption was wrong and I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This seems to be the opposite opinion of most people because they were also expecting (and wanting) a crime thriller. Yes, the characters are flawed and while I didn't particularly like any one of them, I enjoyed reading about them. Their problems are not unique but these problems exist in real life nonetheless, and they will continue to exist because there is not necessarily one satisfactory solution.
The book is definitely long-winded and overly descriptive. However, the food descriptions were apparently effective because I made rice and butter as soon as I finished the first chapter. I liked that this dish is so simple that it's practically inviting the reader to join Rika and make some rice with butter as well - which is the first step to getting immersed in Kajii's world.
After this, I made it a personal goal to make the different dishes Rika cooked as I read along (within reason - I did not bother with a roast turkey). I ended up having to buy more butter.
I can understand why this book is polarizing but I enjoyed it. While I do not agree with the protagonist all the time, I found it easy to follow her train of thought as I am also a female in her 30s with an awareness of the misogyny that pervades society. The specific brand of misogyny may differ since I do not live in Japan but it exists nonetheless. Just like in the book, most of the women I know are aware of this and are just trying to find a way to exist.
