New Delhi, March 22 -- "Cloaked in their mantle of amber butter, the grains shimmied and danced before her eyes. There was a sizzle as the chef poured on some soy sauce, and then the short, spirited tango was over."

I do not usually read fiction unless it concerns starships headed to deep space and devious plots to destroy the world. So, I struggled at first with this dark, somewhat eerie story about an alleged serial killer and her manipulation of men and women through rich food, more specifically, butter. But the more I descended into this eponymous novel, the harder it was to clamber out.

Apart from its delightful weirdness, Butter, the best-seller by the Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki, celebrates food without the restraints of health ...