Book Review: Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

I'll get straight to the point: this book was melt-in-your mouth goodness.

The main character, Kostya, is a Ukrainian-American chef who has the ability to bring back people’s loved ones from the other side for one last meal with his cooking. He realizes that he can help people find closure by giving them one last chance to talk with their loved-ones and, in his pursuit of fame and fortune and one last meal with his own father, he upsets the balance of the afterlife and threatens the fabric of reality.

It was sweet, bitter, savory, and perfect.

This might be my favorite fiction supernatural book review I've ever done. I’m not really into fiction that only has a touch of the supernatural, but this was stunning. The writing was both elegant and gritty, the characters were complicated and real. There was no sugar-coating, and the pacing was snappy yet had the ease of real life to it.

It should be noted that if you decide to read Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle, I'll give you a trigger warning for suicide and self-harm. It is not gratuitous or overly gory, and those topics, along with grief, memory, and the meaning of life, were handled with care.

Daria Lavelle wove the story together like a tapestry of souls, silk, and fine liquor. If you are a lover of food, ghosts, or visceral exploring behind-the-scenes, this is a great book. I won't give any spoilers, but there were gasps.

So. Many. Gasps. I was stunned into silence in the best way. The descriptions were gritty and reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain, but the elegance of the writing was something else altogether.

I love this book for a fall adult book club or even just a darker read with plenty of lighthearted humor and spiritual exploration.

7/7 creme brulees for Aftertaste. 👨🏻‍🍳👨🏻‍🍳👨🏻‍🍳 If you read it, let me know what you thought!

After you finish this one, go read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain or A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back by Kevin Hazzard. Toodles!