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Title: The Kamogawa Food Detectives
Author: Hisashi Kashiwai
Translator: Jesse Kirkwood
Narrator: Hanako Footman
Series: Kamogawa Food Detectives
Series Number: 1
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Translation
Audience: Adult
Format: Audiobook
My Review:
I’m not a foodie but my husband is so I thought he would like this book as a road trip listen.
It’s a cozy, gentle read with lots of descriptions of Japanese food (and even one Italian dish) that probably leave real foodies drooling. That’s not me so I missed a lot of the appeal of the book.
The format felt a bit thin to me. It was heavy on telling and light on showing. In every chapter, a customer walks in, eats some surprisingly good food, and asks the detectives to find a dish with a strong memory attached. There’s a lot of description of the memory and the dish. The customer leaves and trips over the cat (Seriously. I don’t know what was up with that cat). There’s a chapter break and then Mr. Kamogawa tells the customer how he found the dish as he serves it up. I would have preferred to tag along, so to speak, as he traveled around the country doing his research.
I enjoyed Hanako Footman’s narration. She has a melodious voice that fit the feel of the narrative well.
I did start thinking about what dishes I would ask a food detective to unearth for me and I had a good time reliving some fond memories and excellent dishes. It really is amazing how strongly food, memories, family, and friends are tied together.
If you’re a foodie in search of a relaxing read, this would be a good choice for you. I won’t continue reading further in the series though.
Synopsis from GoodReads:
The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason customers stop by . . .
The father-daughter duo are ‘food detectives’. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories – dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.
A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.
Similar Books:
If you liked The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Kamogawa Food Detectives #1), you might also like my reviews of
- The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
- A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey, read by Frankie Corzo
- What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Ayoama, translated by Rohan Eason, illustrated by Alison Watts
Reading Challenge:
Purchase:
Buy The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Kamogawa Food Detectives #1) from Malaprop’s Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC or
