Chez Moi

March 3, 2008
As the self-proclaimed “biggest fucker-upper the world has ever brought forth,” Myriam, 43, is an unlikely restaurateur, but her headlong, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink narration soon makes clear that she's got little left to lose in changing her life. With a past that she reveals only slowly and a stint cooking for a circus under her belt, Myriam fakes some cooking and management diplomas, takes out some loans and opens Chez moi, a tiny 25-seat Parisian eatery in which she also sleeps and bathes. With help from Vincent, the halitosis-afflicted owner of the flower shop next door; from Ben, a gangling, knock-kneed lad who shows up with a solid business plan and ideas for marketing and publicity; and from Ali Slimane, an elegant farmer with perfect meats and produce, Myriam's restaurant begins to flourish—which terrifies her. This lovely book is a cassoulet bulging with lush, delectable descriptions of cuisine and straight-shooting observations on life. Myriam's restaurant has as much to do with improvising ways of living, loving and finding one's way home again as with eating well. It's a frothy, complex pleasure to linger there with her.

May 1, 2008
Middle-aged Myriam abandons life in a circus only to tumble into another chaotic three-ring operation: a restaurant. The homey title she selects for her eatery, Chez Moi, couldnt be more apt since her financial straits force her to live on the premises, even to the point of bathing in the sink. Bit by bit, the restaurant comes together, thanks to help from an assortment of characters: Vincent, a fine yet halitosis-plagued florist who attends to more than just Myriams horticultural needs; Simone and Hannah, two schoolgirls who become her very first customers; and Ben, a quiet youth who becomes the restaurants waiter and Myriams general assistant. Myriam owns a secret: a son she gave up after failing to bond with him. His memory looms larger for her as time passes. Much of this novel consists of long interior monologues, rendered from French into easily flowing English thanks to Hunters adept translation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)