Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Kitchens of the Great Midwest centres around a young girl named Eva who grows up to have an extraordinary culinary palate and mad foodie skills. The story is told using an interesting format with each of the eight chapters being told by secondary and often quite peripheral characters who enter in and out of Eva's life from infancy through adulthood.

It's kind of a cool idea but while the story started off strong, it didn't quite tick all the boxes for me. The foodie aspect was what initially got me excited and, while there are moments of culinary nirvana (and several recipes included), it wasn't the focus of the book. There are tantalizing descriptions of food in the last half that will get your mouth watering but you'll have to be patient.

This story is built around many tangents with characters' connections to Eva often being tenuous at best, leaving me feeling confused as I tried to figure out how this new person fits into the grand scheme of things. These POVs finally converge at the end but with so little time with each character, I couldn't connect with any of them. I also felt a little jilted because we're only told about a few key events in Eva's life and don't get to experience it through her eyes. Without giving Eva her own chapter later on to describe her feelings, she felt more of an enigma than a fully fleshed out character.

Ok, let's chat about the swearing. Normally, it doesn't bother me and I'm by no means a 'curse prude' but it was overdone here. A few characters let the curses fly with wild abandon - particularly Braque. (side note: why did Braque have to be such a cliché - tough, softball playing woman with a foul mouth - who also had an odd and unexplained desire for hot pepper jelly? I still don't get it). I don't mind cursing, but it felt overdone and off-putting in this book.

Overall, I give Stradal full props for how he pokes fun at midwestern stereotypes, food snobs and dysfunctional families but unfortunately, this book was too disjointed for me. It was a struggle to finish which is surprising and disheartening after how much I loved his later book, The Lager Queen of Minnesota. I'd recommend Lager Queen (a 5-star read) in a heartbeat!

Rating: 3 stars

Author: J. Ryan Stradal

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type: eBook

Source: Local Public Library

Publisher: Viking Adult

First Published: July 28, 2015

Opening Lines: Lars Thorvald loved two women. That was it, he thought 

in passing, while he sat on the cold concrete steps of his apartment building.

Book Description from GoodReads: When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine--and a dashing sommelier--he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter--starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva's journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that's a testament to her spirit and resilience.

Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal's startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life--its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.