10/28/2024
Walston’s epically delicious second novel summons readers to a table piled with purpose, twists and, of course, a passion for food. Following the lives of five contestants chosen to compete in a one-of-a-kind competition for the little-known Forager Chefs Club, Walston dices through cliches to serve up a tale rich with small intrigues and an in-depth look at the art of foraging—particularly in Michigan. Beginning with 21-year-old Celeste, an aspiring chef on Mackinac Island relegated to kitchen scut work, chapters cycle through each character’s perspective, with each backstory lovingly integrated and each perspective offering both suspense about the competition and insights into foraging itself: “You had to notice details, be respectful.” Meet culinary school drop-out Christian; soup kitchen chef Eden; Blaise, the self-described culinary rising star and his autistic brother, Bradley; and widowed father and outdoor-cooking specialist, Daniel.
The rules of the contest are simple: contestants are provided a place to live in the Club’s lodge, if they wish, and the entire grounds upon which to forage. In exchange, they must create five lavish meals over seven months for five unknown judges. All of the ingredients must be sourced from Michigan— the competition is a terroir, after all—and the prize is $50,000, a life-changing amount. Each character’s story is delicately layered with nuance, leaving readers struggling to pick just one contestant to root for. Each has their strengths and challenges, though young Celly becomes an early favorite, particularly with her determination and drive.
Secondary characters, in the form of Bradley and Daniel’s young son, Ethan, provide an excellent garnish to the story, though it’s the narrator, Randall, and the lodge’s manager, Elena, who provide the structure on which everything else is built. Precise and sumptuous dish descriptions prove just as enticing and involving as the character portraits, making this feast for the senses one readers will fall in love with and revisit to have their souls and hearts nourished.
Takeaway: Nourishing, character-rich novel of a foraging cooking contest.
Comparable Titles: Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, Sarah Echavarre Smith’s Simmer Down.
Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A
