The Cheffe: A Cook's Novel by Marie NDiaye

Known for her strong female characters, Goncourt Prize laureate and Booker Prize contender Marie NDiaye brings readers inside the world of gastronomy through the perspective of a female chef struggling to build a name for herself in a profession dominated by males in her latest novel.

The narrative of the Cheffe, a lady who lives solely for the purpose of making amazing culinary pleasures, is told by the acclaimed French writer Marie NDiaye, the Prix Goncourt-winning author of Three Strong Women. Born into poverty in southwestern France, the Cheffe obtains a job as a teenager working for a wealthy couple in a nearby town. It doesn't take long for it to become evident that she has a unique, exceptional ability for cooking, and her sheer talent and drive rapidly place her in command of the couple's kitchen. Despite her enjoyment of the culinary limelight, the Cheffe keeps the rest of her life a closely guarded secret.

She doesn't express any of her sentiments or emotions. She falls pregnant but refuses to tell the father of her child. When the pressures of her job become too much for her, she abandons her infant in the care of her family and sets out to create her own restaurant, which receives amazing reviews. As time passes, Cheffe's relationship with her daughter remains strained, and it finally threatens to demolish everything Cheffe has worked so hard to perfect. This magnificent novel by Marie NDiaye is a gustatory tour de force, told from the perspective of Cheffe's former aide and unrequited lover.

Link to read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43426110