I’m often pleasantly surprised by what I find on the shelves at our little community library. Such was the case when I walked in last week. I was not intending to check out another book…if you could see the stacks of books all over my house waiting to be read, you’d understand why. But as a word-aholic, I can’t help looking over the newly arrived titles. Inevitably I find something that piques my interest.
The copper-colored spine is what first caught my eye. So shiny, I just had to pick it up. The title intrigued me: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Putnam, 2009). I read the author bio on the jacket flap. Hmm…a first novel. That knowledge always fills me with dubious curiosity. I had a project on my desk needing to be finished, and I really didn’t have time for a pleasure read. But I took a chance and checked it out.
I was not disappointed. The book is actually nine stories, intricately woven into one body. Reading them was like reconnecting with old friends. While Lillian -- master chef and teacher of “The School of Essential Ingredients” -- is the main character and her story ties all the personalities together, none of the other stories is either more or less important in the overall scheme. An older couple who have weathered the storms of life together for so many years, they can’t imagine being apart, even in the face of some hard realities. A young mother whose identity has become so tied to her children and husband that she doesn’t know who she is anymore. An elderly woman whose increasing dementia terrifies her. A lonely widower. A drop-dead gorgeous foreigner. A shy bachelor. A mixed-up teenager trying to get her life back on track.
While each character has his or her own reason for attending “The School of Essential Ingredients,” by the last page their nine separate lives have become inseparable. It’s a recipe for family. And even though it’s not a “Christian” novel, it is a beautiful picture of the way Christ wants his church to function. I’ve seen my own church family bond together through small groups (or cell groups or community groups, whatever you want to call them). Lillian’s “School of Essential Ingredients” is at its core a small group, and it is a beautiful thing. Whether or not you have a passion for fine food, I recommend feasting on this book. It’s about so much more than cooking. Bon appétit!
The copper-colored spine is what first caught my eye. So shiny, I just had to pick it up. The title intrigued me: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Putnam, 2009). I read the author bio on the jacket flap. Hmm…a first novel. That knowledge always fills me with dubious curiosity. I had a project on my desk needing to be finished, and I really didn’t have time for a pleasure read. But I took a chance and checked it out.
I was not disappointed. The book is actually nine stories, intricately woven into one body. Reading them was like reconnecting with old friends. While Lillian -- master chef and teacher of “The School of Essential Ingredients” -- is the main character and her story ties all the personalities together, none of the other stories is either more or less important in the overall scheme. An older couple who have weathered the storms of life together for so many years, they can’t imagine being apart, even in the face of some hard realities. A young mother whose identity has become so tied to her children and husband that she doesn’t know who she is anymore. An elderly woman whose increasing dementia terrifies her. A lonely widower. A drop-dead gorgeous foreigner. A shy bachelor. A mixed-up teenager trying to get her life back on track.
While each character has his or her own reason for attending “The School of Essential Ingredients,” by the last page their nine separate lives have become inseparable. It’s a recipe for family. And even though it’s not a “Christian” novel, it is a beautiful picture of the way Christ wants his church to function. I’ve seen my own church family bond together through small groups (or cell groups or community groups, whatever you want to call them). Lillian’s “School of Essential Ingredients” is at its core a small group, and it is a beautiful thing. Whether or not you have a passion for fine food, I recommend feasting on this book. It’s about so much more than cooking. Bon appétit!
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