This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
This is the story of two women in New York, both looking for something they have lost. Teenage Lorca is desperate to regain her mother’s love and aging Victoria stews in her apartment, alone, without any family remaining.
In a last ditch attempt to stop her mother sending her to boarding school, Lorca is certain that if she can recreate a beloved Middle Eastern meal her chef mother once ate during a happy time, she will change her mind. Victoria and her husband, meanwhile, used to put cooking and food before all else and, now Victoria is all alone after the passing of Joseph, she wonders whether solace can be found in recipes once again.
In their search for fulfillment the two women are brought together. But cooking up a storm in the kitchen brings the teenager and widow together in more ways than they could ever imagine.
Lorca is a troubled 15 year old who is mostly ignored by her extremely focused chef mother. The only glimmer of interest she receives is when she cooks something impressive. Unfortunately, displays of motherly love are few and far between and Lorca has turned to self harm over the years, which soothes her anguish and helps her deal with her feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. I found this uncomfortable to read and was disheartened to find that it never really abated despite the growing relationship with mentor and friend Victoria.
Victoria, on the other hand, I did warm to as she truly loses her purpose when her husband dies. This event makes her take stock of her life and she realises that perhaps she had her priorities all wrong. The daughter she gave up for adoption also haunts her daily. She could have given up on life when Joseph died, but her strength to reignite her love of cooking is commendable.I did not know exactly what to expect with this debut read and despite the vivid and delicious imagery and recipes, this remains a depressing tale. I do not enjoy reading about self harm and felt this jarred a little with the fabulous food descriptions. The only love that was evident was in the preparation of the tempting and beautifully described dishes and that is what kept me reading.
6/10