The Kitchen Daughter - review

A dear friend has a teenage daughter who happens to have autism.   C adores cooking.  Her specialty is tetrazzini with chicken, turkey or ham.   One highlight of her life is when she met Giada de Laurentis at a book signing.  Giada was very sweet with C.  Another heroine C would love to meet is Paula Deen.

When I first heard about The Kitchen Daughter and its basic plot, I thought about C and jumped at the chance to read it.  

 
The Kitchen Daughter

by Jael McHenry of the Simmer blog

to be released April 12, 2011
publisher: Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster

Ginny is a twenty-something adult with Asperger's.   Before her parents leave for a long vacation, they make special arrangements to accommodate her shyness and social ineptitude.  For example, a guy leaves the weekly grocery order on the front steps so that Ginny doesn't have to deal with face-to-face shopping.  After the funeral, which is on the first page, Ginny's sister Amanda (De-manda) swoops down and insists the house be sold.  No!  

When stressed, Ginny hides in the closet and mentally runs through cooking rhythms.  A treasure she keeps hidden is her Book of Normal.   Gert, the housekeeper who comes in once a week, gives Ginny some wisdom about grief.  Great characterizations here.   Family secrets too.

I don't especially like books with recipes and ghosts.  The Kitchen Daughter, however,  handles both with finesse, and both are essential to the story.

disclaimer:  received from the publisher for review.  No further compensation.  Reading this fantabulous,  creative, unusual book is more than enough compensation -- unless the author wants to cook dinner for me.