The vast majority of my reading of Japanese books (translations) consists of reading Murakami - who is a wonderful author. Apart from Murakami I think I have read the brilliant Devotion of Suspect X and the old Honjin Murders. I think Murakami's works, while based out of Japan, inhabit a parallel world of their own. So those might not be a good place to understand Japan from. In that sense this is the first book I have read about contemporary Japan.
The books protagonist is the journalist Rika Machida who is fascinated with a new murder case. A woman, Manako Kajii, is accused of causing the death of three men. Kajii is alleged to have been in a sugar relationship with all of the victims. There is intense public interest in the case , largely stemming from the fact that Kajii does not conform to the physical or moral standards expected of a Japanese woman. Rika uses Manako's love of food to bond with her and get an exclusive interview.
Japanese Novels
Plot
Theme - Feminism, Japan, Food , Sex
Complexity
Dostovyesky
