Kitchens of the Great Midwest

by J. Ryan Stradal

[Beth C.]

Food is, of course, what we eat to keep our bodies going. But for Eva, it is more. It is how she communicates her life, and is often the window through which she sees life in general. Her life takes a variety of twists and turns to help mold her into the person she is, and "Kitchens of the Great Midwest" does a wonderful job of showing how food can be the anchor in a chain of a life that has had its share of storms.

While this book is billed as a novel, it felt more like a series of stories whose commonality happened to be Eva and her love of food. Each section went to a very different place (the kitchens of the title), and sometimes Eva was barely attached. Eventually, though, all the stories circled back to the beginning of...Eva. It's hard to write too much more about it without giving spoilers (and I *hate* spoilers), so just be prepared for this book to not necessarily flow like a regular novel. However, it's not disconcerting and it works very well, so don't let that keep you from giving this book a chance, either. Just keep an eye on the characters, because they have a tendency to show up again when you least expect them to!

I did not try any of the recipes in the book - frankly, they felt sort of thrown in almost as an afterthought. And since there are only a few, and not really necessary to the story as a whole, I didn't feel it necessary to make them. I may, at some point, but the story is whole without them.

J. Ryan Stradal has created a unique work of fiction in this title. It starts out a bit slow, but each character is fully fleshed out and the story is well-paced and thoughtful. Certainly a unique take on a novel and worth spending the time to read.