The lake in the middle of her father’s kitchen is only the first in a series of disasters in Zeina’s life. Nassar’s recent health crisis has seen his well-established community restaurant, Casablanca, losing ground and customers to trendier competition.
Casablanca’s deterioration is not the only chaos in Zeina’s world but, unlike her husband who won’t speak to her, her best friend who is sliding towards self-destruction, and her cousin who is stealing Zeina’s life story for content, the restaurant is something she can fix. And Zeina, lonely and adrift, needs something she can fix.
Taking leave from her prestigious chef position, Zeina throws herself into caring for her ailing father, immersing herself in the familiar foods and flavours of her childhood, trying to save both him and his restaurant. But working in the kitchen – and her childhood home – brings memories, secrets, and unexpected ambitions simmering to the surface. When it comes time to make hard decisions, Zeina will have to accept that growing up is an ongoing process – one that never gets any easier.
Amal Awad is a highly talented journalist, screenwriter, author and performer. Trying to decide what to rave about first in her breakout novel, Bitter & Sweet, is hard.
Zeina is a fantastic, relatable and endearing protagonist who is in the thick of balancing the act of life, determined to live authentically. We’re with her as she navigates life and love, and keeping her emotions at bay via her connection and dedication to creating brilliant mouth-watering meals.
This novel is a perceptive study of family, the way we love, the way we disappoint, the secrets we keep and the way we leave. We see this especially in the dissolution of Zeina’s marriage, gaining episodic insights into her and Ray’s relationship which is measured out so cleverly throughout the novel.
Awad’s writing style is intimate and courageous. She cleverly explores the importance of female friendships and the way they evolve and challenge with age. We’re also given a poignant look at grief, and the impermanence of life that taps us on the shoulder when we lose a loved one.
And, of course, I must mention the food! Awad provides us with the most satiating and delectable descriptions of Zeina’s great passion.
Bitter & Sweet is a superbly written, uplifting tale of reinvention – of the courage it takes to acknowledge the past, to forgive and release it in order to embrace your own vision for the future.
Awad’s understanding of the cultural ties that bind, and her love of the middle eastern restaurant world of Sydney’s past is transportive and tremendous.
Bitter & Sweet is the best kind of novel: one that you’ll want to keep close at hand, that you’ll re-read, and that will remain with you in the sweetest of ways.
Leave a Reply