'Kitchens of the Great Midwest': Disjointed but entertaining foodie novel

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

By J. Ryan Stradal

Pamela Dorman Books. 320 pp. $25 nolead ends

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Reviewed by

Lynn Rosen

nolead ends Within the first few pages of this entertaining debut novel, readers of Kitchens of the Great Midwest are already immersed in both J. Ryan Stradal's particular voice - a forward rush of plot and wit - and the Midwestern Lutheran mise en scène. In this Minnesota setting, tradition reigns, and tradition is usually related to food, be it the opening day of hunting (i.e. venison) season, the church bake-off, or the Norwegian holiday dish of lutefisk, whose fishy smell clings to young Lars Thorvald for years when forced by his father to prepare the dish for the entire community. This tortuous chore, however, leads Lars to discover his talent for cooking, and, as soon as possible, he escapes his Duluth hometown for life as a chef in "the Cities" (Minneapolis/St. Paul).

Lars gives detailed attention to his daughter Eva's diet. The book includes a two-page week-by-week menu, as well as a recipe for Mom's Carrot Cake. After his wife, Cynthia, deserts the family unexpectedly, Lars takes up fatherhood with a passion.

Lars introduces us to the joys of the foodie life, but it is Eva's story we are meant to follow. We meet her at age 11, when her most treasured possessions are the grow light she is given by her parents and the habanero plants she cultivates in her closet. Each subsequent chapter focuses on a different character, and we must often at first puzzle out their connections to Eva, although it is always related to her discovery of a new food and the development of her skills as a chef. It cannot be said, at least by this reader, that each relationship is truly illuminating or that each character is a pleasure to encounter.

The book hinges on the idea that food brings people together and helps create community, and Eva uses food and her extraordinary cooking skills (she has a "once-in-a-generation palate"), to create her own piecemeal family. Nevertheless, Kitchens feels disjointed as a result of the jumpy point of view, and the attempt to wrap it all up in the final chapter feels unsatisfactory.

Not to say that Kitchens of the Great Midwest doesn't have much to offer. It is often funny, and it is lively throughout. Foodie readers will enjoy Stradal's loving descriptions of meal preparation and eating. The author's voice is appealing, as is his lovely creation, Eva Thorvald. If only we could have gotten to know her better.