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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't immediately struck with opening chapters of this, it seemed a bit maudlin and too close to Perfume by Patrick Suskind for my taste, (no pun intended) but I am incredibly glad I stuck with it. The magical element of clairgustance is not one I had known of, so that was very intriguing, plus the way this was structured with the mystery people's first person monologues added an element of foreshadowing that kept me hooked.
The sections about cooking and taste appealed to the fan of The Bear in me, making this feel less magical realism and more reality based, as well as fleshing out the character of Kostya into more than a lost grieving son, giving him a purpose that made this readable. All the food descriptions are delectable, even the less appealing ones, so I did feel so hungry throughout. The book has made me think differently about the significance of food and flavour to humans, given how it can literally summon ghosts here. The feeling of both nostalgia for a time and a person is so keenly portrayed here, my heart hurt at points, such as when Sister Louise is eating the soup. There are enough twists to keep me locked in - the end of En Flambe?! - and this was a surprisingly engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The ending was extremely poignant, not the ending I was expecting but moving all the same.
The sections about cooking and taste appealed to the fan of The Bear in me, making this feel less magical realism and more reality based, as well as fleshing out the character of Kostya into more than a lost grieving son, giving him a purpose that made this readable. All the food descriptions are delectable, even the less appealing ones, so I did feel so hungry throughout. The book has made me think differently about the significance of food and flavour to humans, given how it can literally summon ghosts here. The feeling of both nostalgia for a time and a person is so keenly portrayed here, my heart hurt at points, such as when Sister Louise is eating the soup. There are enough twists to keep me locked in - the end of En Flambe?! - and this was a surprisingly engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The ending was extremely poignant, not the ending I was expecting but moving all the same.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kostya has an amazing gift and talent that is both bizarre but dangerous!
I loved the way memories presented themselves to Kostya as they linked to someone's loved one. It seemed such a wonderful thing to experience and help others with. However, actions have consequences as Kostya finds out.
I didn't want to step away from this as I felt that Kostya deserved a break and he was trying hard to do something good despite having lost his father and him finding his way in the world. He seemed a good guy who just needed someone ( and himself) to have a little confidence in him. I did get swept up in the nostalgia of the aftertastes and didn't expect things to work out the way they did but it does offer up a life lesson in that life is for living and no good comes from dwelling on those you've lost.
It did makes me wonder what tastes I'd assign to loved ones and what they might assign to me. Really enjoyed the journey this book takes you on
I loved the way memories presented themselves to Kostya as they linked to someone's loved one. It seemed such a wonderful thing to experience and help others with. However, actions have consequences as Kostya finds out.
I didn't want to step away from this as I felt that Kostya deserved a break and he was trying hard to do something good despite having lost his father and him finding his way in the world. He seemed a good guy who just needed someone ( and himself) to have a little confidence in him. I did get swept up in the nostalgia of the aftertastes and didn't expect things to work out the way they did but it does offer up a life lesson in that life is for living and no good comes from dwelling on those you've lost.
It did makes me wonder what tastes I'd assign to loved ones and what they might assign to me. Really enjoyed the journey this book takes you on
it was both too deep/not deep enough for me… but a fun read and reading about the flavors were a great experience for sure
Edit: More in depth review since I have more time!
I thought this was definitely an interesting read. It kinda fits into the "adult fiction" genre of what I expect an adult fiction book to look like; slightly pretentious but sort of feels like there should be some deeper meaning that alters your view on life and makes you a different person. If there was a deeper meaning to this book, I didn't get it.
To be fair, I am lucky enough to not have really gone through significant loss of a loved one, but I think that this book could definitely be a good read and hit wayy harder if you've been through that. I just didn't really empathize or care too much about the characters because of that.
Despite that, it was definitely a fun read that explored food, tastes, and memories. I've never read a book that describes food as often or a detailed as this one did, so it's definitely a fun one for the senses. Not a bad book by any means and it's definitely worth a read. It just didn't hit for me.
Edit: More in depth review since I have more time!
I thought this was definitely an interesting read. It kinda fits into the "adult fiction" genre of what I expect an adult fiction book to look like; slightly pretentious but sort of feels like there should be some deeper meaning that alters your view on life and makes you a different person. If there was a deeper meaning to this book, I didn't get it.
To be fair, I am lucky enough to not have really gone through significant loss of a loved one, but I think that this book could definitely be a good read and hit wayy harder if you've been through that. I just didn't really empathize or care too much about the characters because of that.
Despite that, it was definitely a fun read that explored food, tastes, and memories. I've never read a book that describes food as often or a detailed as this one did, so it's definitely a fun one for the senses. Not a bad book by any means and it's definitely worth a read. It just didn't hit for me.
emotional
I picked up Aftertaste on a recommendation, and it did not disappoint! A clever exploration of grief and a love letter to food and the restaurant scene. Lavelle has wonderful turns of phrase and I look forward to reading more in the future.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept for this book reeled me in and I did like the story. I think I was hoping for a story focused on the aspect of the aftertastes but it’s more a story of grief and moving on. Personally, I am not a fan of romance so it felt tedious working my way through that aspect of the story. Also I gave the biggest eye role when the supporting brown best friend died. Please free us brown people from that literary crutch.
Yeah No... This isn't for me. From what I heard of this from other reviews this book is supposed to be an emotionally raw exploration of grief. 12% and I can tell it's not going to deliver in that way for me. The dialogue feels unnatural and stilted and the sheer amount of idioms and similarities has me cringing so hard. So I'm going to pass on this one.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
This novel is simultaneously a love letter to the culinary world and an exploration of grief & how we process it.