Born into poverty in southwestern France, as a teenager the Cheffe takes a job working for a wealthy couple in a neighboring town. It is not long before it becomes clear that she has an unusual, remarkable talent for cooking, and soon her sheer talent and ambition put her in charge of the couples kitchen. Though she revels in the culinary spotlight, the Cheffe remains secretive about the rest of her life. She shares nothing of her feelings or emotions. She becomes pregnant but will not reveal her daughters father. And when the demands of her work become too great, she leaves her baby in the care of her family and sets out to open her own restaurant, to rave reviews. As time goes on, the Cheffes relationship with her daughter remains fraught, and eventually it threatens to destroy everything the Cheffe has spent her life perfecting. Told from the perspective of the Cheffes former assistant and unrequited lover, this stunning novel by Marie NDiaye is a gustatory tour de force.
Marie NDiaye is so intelligent, so composed, so good, that any description of her work feels like an understatement. –The New York Review of Books
Beautiful. . . . A story about impressions, ideas, and the extreme subtleties of human relationships. –Chicago Review of Books
An arresting portrait of a self-effacing genius. –The New Yorker
Luminous. . . . Any woman who has ever allowed her career to take precedence, even for an hour, over her offspring, will cringe in understanding. –The Washington Post
Paperback. January 19, 2021
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