Chef tale’s a tasty treat
This week’s Checklist book reviews include Haruki Murakami’s Wind/Pinball, and Kitchens Of The Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST
J. Ryan Stradal
It’s quite hard to write a review when all you want to do is press it into people’s hands and force them to read it. Eight chapters tell the story of Eva Thorvald from a different character’s point of view, taking us through the life of the owner of the most incredible palate. When Eva’s mother runs off with a sommelier shortly after Eva’s birth, her father - a passionate, if not hugely successful, chef – sets out to instil in her his own love of cooking. It quickly becomes apparent that Eva is destined for great things. As she grows up we see her culinary skills develop, culminating in her becoming the renowned chef behind an elusive pop up restaurant, one at which a plate can come at the cost of $5,000. J. Ryan Stradal is a TV producer (Ice Road Truckers) and recognition of the very human moments is overwhelmingly apparent here. Funny, bittersweet and joyful, it’s a startlingly brilliant debut.
WIND/PINBALL
Haruki Murakami
The author behind Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage, is back with two short stories – Hear The Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973. Translated into English for the first time as a reversible hardback, these are actually the writer’s first works Many of the themes Murakami touches upon on, such as loneliness, obsession and sex, recur in his later books. Bizarre and often surreal, these stories act as an intriguing exploration into Murakami’s wacky mind and thought processes..
PILLOW MAN
Nick Coleman
The two protagonists – William, a 50-something ex-rock musician turned department store salesman, and Lucy, a free-spirited parttime baker approaching her forties – are certainly not your typical leading man or leading lady. Their developing relationship is followed in alternate chapters. It’s a beautifully written, thoroughly modern and witty exploration of love, relationships and getting older, with no sign of cheesiness or sentimentality. Author Nick Coleman is an eloquent writer, skilfully balancing the more tender and poignant moments with his characteristic dry wit and sarcasm. A moving, thoughtful and sensitive examination of modern life, which will, fairly frequently, make you snort with laughter.
FISHBOWL
Bradley Somer
Following the thoughts of a goldfish plunging from the 27th floor of an apartment building is a sure way to grab a reader’s attention, but Bradley Somer’s second novel is much more than that gimmick. It focuses instead on the inhabitants, including an agoraphobic sex worker, a nymphomanic PhD student and an 11-year-old boy who thinks he can time travel. When the lift breaks, the characters are forced into contact and their encounters are retold from each other’s perspective. Dancing from one storyline to the next ramps up the tension and Ian-the-goldfish’s plunge adds a continual line of cleverly built-up suspense. All of life, from birth to death, love to hate, is explored with sensitivity, humour and some whimsical musing on the nature of goldfish.