A friend posted a list of 10 recommended books from 2025, and this one caught my attention. It was available locally, and I wanted something good to fill the Food category on my list. This was the perfect fit.
Konstantin has a unique “gift” – clairgustence, meaning he senses tastes from the dead: foods and flavours he’s not experienced himself, but that the dead want to use to communicate with those left behind, those who can’t let them go. After several years and false starts, all the while remembering his own ghosts, Konstantin figures out how to use his gift, to help people get closure and help himself succeed in the food business. Along the way, he meets Maura, a part-time psychic who is struggling with a ghost of her own. As he approaches the pinnacle of success and happiness, he learns that dealing with the afterlife is never simple, and that gifts such as his come with responsibility and have a price.
I found the premise and story to be very interesting. The scenes and descriptions of food and cooking and tastes are very well done, vivid and captivating, often mouth-watering. The one area that is less well done is the dialogue, which borders on soap-opera in many places. Also, the main characters seem unlikeable, as well as almost teenager-ish in their relationship. But the narrative and overall conceit are excellent and engaging. It was a page turner, with ghosts, mysteries, romance, danger, and food. Overall, this seemed like a scarier and more intense version of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, with more mouth-watering food descriptions.
I was reminded of other excellent books and movies about food, including My Last Supper, which led me to document my favourite foods. If I was a ghost in Konstantin’s Food Hall, it would be a delicious trick to get through all my faves!
Fate: going to another foodie reader
4 – published in 2025
7 – debut
8 – female author
20 – one-word title
24 – about food
25 – new author to me
rclr 
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