A review by stitchsaddiction
The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D’Silva

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Hate and love are two sides of the same coin.”

I knew from the moment I read the blurb about The Spice Maker's Secret, it would be a book that would have me enraptured and lost to the two generations of a family living in 1930s Suryanagar (a village in the Palghar district of Maharashtra) and 1980s England.

Renita D'Silva has brought these two worlds to life in such a manner that everything feels tangible whether it be the heat in Suryanagar on your skin, or the way the spices would tickle your nose as their scents caught on the breeze when cooking. Or the noise of traffic in a busy English town, and the emptiness you feel in a house that was once noisy but is now permanently silent. 

D'Silva has ensured by her world-building that both Bindu and Eve's stories are guaranteed to come not only alive but have the reader loathed to put The Spice Maker's Secret down.

Bindu's story had me so emotional and torn between pride for her sheer determination and the sorrow that life wouldn't be kind to her. She's bright, and filled with a fire that few women would be allowed to possess in the ‘30s, and she's so hopeful for more. I loved her relationship with her grandmother, Ajji as they create the most delicious sounding dishes together that are written about in such a manner that you'll be wishing for the recipes to recreate them! Ajji is everything to Bindu and the way she's written has her larger than life personality step out from the page.

It's Ajji however that has changed everything for Bindu and my heart broke. From the freedom of having nothing to the cage of having everything with a man whose love for her is worse than a prison sentence.. I wanted to step into the book and pull this wonderful woman whose light dims so much thanks to the weight being something she's not. To remind her that she's more than what she's made to feel.

This is D'Silva's talent. I'd never read any of her work before but The Spice Maker's Secret is one of the greatest books I've ever read.

Eve's story is one of tragedy too, and the sorrow she feels is one ypu cannot help but experience second hand as she grieves for the most unimaginable loss of her husband and child. (I don't normally put such spoilers in but this is an important one. You don't witness it as a reader, this story is set after the event but it is an incredibly important part of her journey.)

Whilst there are moments of extreme tragedy, this is a story of a woman's strength to be more than herself. Bindu is wonderful and her story had me sobbing at times, I wished she had been given every dream she'd wanted… She only gets one though sadly. Eve's journey of self-discovery and healing, and I loved (albeit whilst being again emotional) how her strength grows as she learns more about herself as a person and her family.

This is a phenomenal story, I can't actually do it justice in my review but strongly suggest you read it but bring a box of tissues along for the journey.