'Part ghost story, part gastro romance ... and lashings of bittersweet humour' Mail on Sunday
'A fun romp through New York's restaurant scene and the world of the undead' The Sunday Times
'[The] answer to last year's cult hit Butter' The Bookseller
A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour.
When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure – something he's craved for as long as he can remember.
There are just three problems:
1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.
2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.
3. He's falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife – who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped.
A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death: the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.
'Practically exploding with love, life and flavour' LOUISE KENNEDY
'Bitingly inventive, written with humour and heart' ELIZABETH DAY
'A hauntingly evocative journey through the realms of pain, pleasure and the power of food' NIGELLA LAWSON
Genre: Fantasy
'A fun romp through New York's restaurant scene and the world of the undead' The Sunday Times
'[The] answer to last year's cult hit Butter' The Bookseller
A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour.
When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure – something he's craved for as long as he can remember.
There are just three problems:
1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.
2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.
3. He's falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife – who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped.
A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death: the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.
'Practically exploding with love, life and flavour' LOUISE KENNEDY
'Bitingly inventive, written with humour and heart' ELIZABETH DAY
'A hauntingly evocative journey through the realms of pain, pleasure and the power of food' NIGELLA LAWSON
Genre: Fantasy
Praise for this book
"An original concept perfectly realized. Witty and poignant, surprising and satisfying, this lovely book about death is brimming with life." - Karen Joy Fowler
"Aftertaste is a breathtaking novel. Combining the grit of the restaurant world with the magic of the afterlife, Daria Lavelle perfectly blends unexpected ingredients into a book you'll want to savor. It's a story about grief that's filled with humor, warmth, and astounding creativity, and I already can't wait to read it again." - Laura Hankin
"A decadent debut that marks the arrival of a sparkling new voice. Dark and delicious, sincerely moving and at times laugh out loud funny, a heady, bittersweet, beautiful novel about life and death, grief and closure, passion and hunger. A must-read." - Rachel Harrison
"Aftertaste is practically exploding with love, life and flavour. I relished every word." - Louise Kennedy
"Daria Lavelle's Aftertaste is pure magic; a story that nourishes the soul, breaks the heart, and lingers on the tongue long after reading. I am so glad to have been haunted by it. A sparkling debut from a writer gifted with wit and imagination to spare." - Violet Kupersmith
"Brilliantly constructed and wholly original, Aftertaste is like no novel you've ever tried before. It's much more than your usual dish - it's a whole literary tasting menu. Packed with ghosts, romance, fine dining, and the mob, it will leave you stunned, thrilled, and totally satiated." - Julia Phillips
"This is a terrific book. Aftertaste offers the glories of food and cooking - all the yes-chef details we now love - in a cool, brilliant, and suspenseful novel whose spec-fic plot wants to talk about the mysteries of sense-memory and death. I could not put it down." - Joan Silber
"Aftertaste is a breathtaking novel. Combining the grit of the restaurant world with the magic of the afterlife, Daria Lavelle perfectly blends unexpected ingredients into a book you'll want to savor. It's a story about grief that's filled with humor, warmth, and astounding creativity, and I already can't wait to read it again." - Laura Hankin
"A decadent debut that marks the arrival of a sparkling new voice. Dark and delicious, sincerely moving and at times laugh out loud funny, a heady, bittersweet, beautiful novel about life and death, grief and closure, passion and hunger. A must-read." - Rachel Harrison
"Aftertaste is practically exploding with love, life and flavour. I relished every word." - Louise Kennedy
"Daria Lavelle's Aftertaste is pure magic; a story that nourishes the soul, breaks the heart, and lingers on the tongue long after reading. I am so glad to have been haunted by it. A sparkling debut from a writer gifted with wit and imagination to spare." - Violet Kupersmith
"Brilliantly constructed and wholly original, Aftertaste is like no novel you've ever tried before. It's much more than your usual dish - it's a whole literary tasting menu. Packed with ghosts, romance, fine dining, and the mob, it will leave you stunned, thrilled, and totally satiated." - Julia Phillips
"This is a terrific book. Aftertaste offers the glories of food and cooking - all the yes-chef details we now love - in a cool, brilliant, and suspenseful novel whose spec-fic plot wants to talk about the mysteries of sense-memory and death. I could not put it down." - Joan Silber
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