Kitchens of the Great Midwest

J. Ryan Stradal

'A tremendous novel that combines powerfully moving moments with hilarious satire' Daily Mail

'Eva Thorvald is the new Olive Kitteridge' Elisabeth Egan

'Kitchens of the Great Midwest is terrific' Jane Smiley Guardian

Have you met Eva Thorvald?

To her father a chef she's a pint-sized recipe tester and the love of his life. To the chilli chowdown contestants of Cook County Illinois she's a fire-eating demon. To the fashionable foodie goddess of supper clubs she's a wanton threat. She's an enigma a secret ingredient that no one can figure out. Someday Eva will surprise everyone.

One by one they tell their story; together they tell Eva's. Joyful quirky and heartwarming this is a novel about the family you lose the friends you make and the chance connections that make a life.

On the day before her eleventh birthday she's cultivating chilli peppers in her wardrobe like a pro. Abandoned by her mother gangly and poor Eva arms herself with the weapons of her unknown heritage: a kick-ass palate and a passion bordering on obsession.

Over the years her tastes grow and so do her ambitions. One day Eva will be the greatest chef in the world. But along the way the people she meets will shape her - and she them - in ways unforgettable riotous and profound. So she - for one - knows exactly who she is by the time her mother returns.

Special paperback edition with questions for reading groups interview guide to the Midwest recipes and more!

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