If you reckon all of us, here in the Great Indulgent Western World, are turning into complete tossers about food then this debut novel is for you. Already receiving huge enthusiasm in the United States, Kitchens of Great Midwest is written by writer, editor and producer funny-man J. Ryan Stradal. It is the story of orphaned Eva Thorvald growing up obsessed with food, tastes and origins. This unusual novel is often funny, frequently poignant and has the added bonus of having recipes here and there.

Stradal, a Californian, floats various writing styles into his one epic story of Eva endeavouring to find her culinary feet, and indeed her birth mother. At times Stradal’s writing is successfully hilarious, although I suspect that many food-lovers out there will feel like their hand has been bitten. Each chapter explores the genesis of a certain dish and explores how Eva uses that taste to inform her next life move. The chilli chapter is unforgettable and illustrates a Monty Python-esque humour from the author. Revenge has never been so audacious. It’s a laugh out loud moment.

Stradel’s debut novel is in the end, though, essentially an assessment of how preoccupied and pretentious our culture has become with food. It seems the wealthy world can be divided into those that desire butter, and those that are content with margarine. So if you are in need of a rollicking good tale about finding contentment, and can survive the guilt of having so many food choices, then grab your single-source coffee, your notebook for jotting down clever dinner-party recipes and settle in.

Chris Gordon