Do you love exploring fiction that features food as well as other compelling themes? Feast your eyes on some of our favourites.
The Jam Queens – Josephine Moon 
Aggie is known for her award-winning jams and is determined to succeed with her Barossa Valley café, trying to putpersonal pain behind her. When an opportunity arises to travel on the Ghan for her mother’s seventieth birthday, she joins her mother, her distant daughter and her great-aunt. A multi-generational story about family, food and love, on a journey across Australia.
Chocolat – Joanne Harris [B1633]
This is a well-known novel and film that deserves a revisit! This tale of temptation features Vianne, her daughter Anouk, and a chocolate boutique nestled in the tiny French village of Lansquenet – seductive, sensual and just a little mischievous. It’s the Church versus chocolate when the locals are tempted, the priest outraged and the discovery of joy.
The Midsummer Garden – Kirsty Manning
In France 1487, Artemesia has been appointed cook at a renowned chateau. With her skills in creating food that delights the senses and knowledge of herbal lore, she oversees a wedding feast and contemplates her own uncertain future. In 2014, Tasmania, marine biology student Pip is contemplating a change after a fallout with her fiancé. A gift of extraordinary copper pots provides a link to the past and these two women’s stories are bound in love, passion and sacrifice.
The Devil’s Larder – Jim Crace [B1683]
A novel in 64 parts, this collection from English novelist Jim Crace features meals are served with lashings of passion, recipes are spiced with unexpected challenges and hopes and the ingredients are hilarious, delightful and subversive. Whether it is searching for stones to preserve the flavour of the sea, or a restaurant where no actual food is served, this is full of exuberant invention and the best kind of ‘food for thought’.
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
In this delicious feast of fiction – a Mexican modern classic – love, war, tragedy and wonder celebrate life with a stunning banquet of food.
The Sweet-Shop Owner – Graham Swift [B1203]
This debut novel by this Booker Prize winning author is an extraordinary and emotional read. On the last day of his life, sweet-shop owner Willy Chapman reflects on his earlier life, his devotion to his south London shop and tenuous relationships with his wife and daughter. A sometimes sad story of family and time, but still with light-hearted moments.
The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan [B1283]
In 1949, four Chinese women, all recent immigrants to San Francisco, meet each week to play mahjong, share food and reminisce on what they left behind in China. As they share their hopes for their daughters’ futures, their daughters reflect on how their mothers’ pasts will impact their own lives. Also a celebrated film, this is a moving story of life, loss, family and culture.
Do you have a culinary-themed favourite? Get in touch at bookgroups@cae.edu.au
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