THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

This delightful novel features restaurant kitchens redolent with vibrant scents, flavors, and colors in a rare bridging of continents and cultural contrasts. Narrator Neil Shah recounts the life of Hassan Haji, a chef/gourmand, and his culinary adventures. Shah delivers delightful Indian accents for the Haji family and the parts of the novel set in India. When the setting shifts to France, Shah provides seamless French accents for the Alpine villagers, especially for celebrated chef whose restaurant is across the street from the Haji family’s Indian restaurant. The story blends the exotic ingredients and techniques of Indian cookery and the lavish complexities of French cooking. The charming dichotomy between the boisterous Indian restaurant and the refined French one, just 100 feet apart, bridges the differences between cultures and cuisines with often hilarious consequences. A.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]