I love fiction plus food, and when recipes are included? Even better!
That was certainly the case with Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew.
This was a fun romp through South African cuisine, a new language for
me (Afrikaans), and more than one murder! Although there were parts of the
story that were definitely thrilling, it was overall upbeat and funny. The main
character, Tannie Maria, is a newspaper columnist who writes recipes and love
advice—every piece of love advice revolves around a recipe or a meal. And,
throughout the story, she relates to the other characters through food as well.
Frankly, some of the recipes made me hungry and I can’t wait to try some
of them!
Recipes for Love and Murder starts off as a mystery around the murder
of an abused woman and suspects that include her husband and her best friend, a
woman who was in love with the murder victim. Among characters are a slimy
grocery store manager, a dashing police officer, a hip young reporter, another shy
police officer, an organic farmer, and so on.
The book very briefly delves into politics, discussing Nelson Mandela and pre- and post-Apartheid South Africa. There are a few characters who seem to be racists...but are they really?
And then, there's more than one couple with mixed signals -- does she like me? Does he like her? Who likes who?
And, I can’t forget a spectacular character running throughout the entire
book: the landscape and the sunrises and sunsets! Truly, these were their own characters
and really brought the book to life. I’ve never been to South Africa (or any
other part of the African continent!), but the author, Sally Andrew, described
it in such rich detail that I could see the flora and fauna in my mind as clearly
as if they were in front of me.
By the end of the book, I was longing to sit on Tannie Maria’s porch
with her, eating cookies or cake, and watching the sunset.
As a bonus, to help you understand the book which is written in English but with a lot of Afrikaans sprinkled throughout, there is a glossary at the back; however, you can get the general meaning of most words from the context.
Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew is a nice, easy read that
kept me interested throughout. I hope you’ll enjoy it too!
What are you reading right now?
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