From the celebrated French writer Marie NDiaye--Prix Goncourt-winning
author of Three Strong Women--comes the story of the Cheffe: a woman
who lives in the single-minded pursuit of creating incomparable culinary
delights.
Born into poverty in southwestern France, as a teenager the Cheffe takes
a job working for a wealthy couple in a neighboring town. It is not long
before it becomes clear that she has an unusual, remarkable talent for
cooking, and soon her sheer talent and ambition put her in charge of the
couple's kitchen. Though she revels in the culinary spotlight, the
Cheffe remains secretive about the rest of her life. She shares nothing
of her feelings or emotions. She becomes pregnant but will not reveal
her daughter's father. And when the demands of her work become too
great, she leaves her baby in the care of her family and sets out to
open her own restaurant, to rave reviews. As time goes on, the Cheffe's
relationship with her daughter remains fraught, and eventually it
threatens to destroy everything the Cheffe has spent her life
perfecting. Told from the perspective of the Cheffe's former assistant
and unrequited lover, this stunning novel by Marie NDiaye is a gustatory
tour de force.
