The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

This book is fantastic. I skimmed the review here - sorry! I skimmed it, I know! But I don't like too many spoilers and really all I needed to see was that it's VERY GOOD and I was good to go. Also, there's food in it, so you know I was sold.


Let me tell you what you find out in the front cover/first couple of pages:

1) Ginny (the narrator) is one of two adult daughters who has just been orphaned.
2) She lives in her parents house - she is socially awkward and overly literal and needs to be taken care of...sort of. She's also an amazing cook who manages herself by imagining the way onions caramelize.
3) It made me want to caramelize onions.
4) Her sister is controlling.
5) During the funeral, an unexpected guest arrives...followed by more guests throughout the book. That's all I'm saying, but notice that I tagged this "supernatural" and "speculative" and go from there.

What you won't discover until you read it for yourself is the lyrical prose, the complete openness and honesty of the narrator, the desire to make sure that everything turns out alright, the compelling descriptions (and recipes!), and the fully-formed cast of characters that make up Ginny's life.

I couldn't put it down. I told Steve all about it. I want to know what happens next.

You should read it. Seriously. Go right now, it's at the library...or your local bookshop. Read it.