Tastes Like War

I absolutely loved reading this book - the writing is beautiful and the descriptions of the meals the author shared with her mother left my stomach rumbling. There were a few passages where I rolled my eyes a bit at the blind spots in the author's perspective (such as when she was talking about her trips to Paris or the concerns of her dissertation advisors) and some bits seemed a little embellished but overall I was ready to proclaim this one of the most beautiful books I had read this year. I tore through it in less than a day and it left me aching with emotion over mental illness, family relationships, generational trauma, colonialism and racism, and the human experience.

And then I saw the reviews and tweets from other members of the author's family. I don't mind at all that the book is not wholly accurate - historical truth has never been something I've demanded of my entertainment. But I am very troubled by the amount of harm that the writing and publication of this book is said to have caused. For that reason, I can't give it the high rating I was planning.

DNF at 13%.

There were a couple of things that already didn't seem quite right about the story then I came to add it to my currently reading list here and saw the author's family's reviews. I just can't in good conscience keep reading when it seems the person the author is talking about would not have wanted their story told that way and the family appears to be entirely in agreement that they wanted no part of this and that they feel deeply misrepresented.

No rating.

This is a 2.5 rounded up for me.

In short, this would have made an incredible novel, even in keeping the stylization of a memoir, but simply has a few too many assumptions and too many accusations and conflicting accounts lobbied against it, particularly by other family members, for it to be justified as a memoir for me.

I enjoyed the prose and the winding story telling, which seems to be a reoccurring complaint among other lower scored reviews here on goodreads. I also appreciate the author's desire to understand what her mother and mother's family may or may not have endured, even if how she goes about it in this book is one of the largest issues with it. Alas, the road paved with good intentions...

I think this book will make for great critical conversation for my book club's meeting this month! If you decide to take on this book, I think it's important to at least read the review by the brother, Neville. The sister in law and at least one of the nieces have also left reviews.