Three troubled lives, one cookbook: a recipe for self-discovery . . . Lilia wakes up one morning to discover that her marriage is not what it seemed. Marc cannot face his empty apartment after the loss of his beloved. Ferda struggles with the demands of family life, but all she wants is to follow her passion: to cook with freedom for the people she truly loves. In this sweeping story, taking in the streets and markets of New York, Paris and Istanbul, courage and desire begin to stir through three very different people. ‘A modern Turkish writer with the subtle, steady gaze of Balzac. With quiet brilliance, Asli Perker shows how couples and families from Paris to the Philippines cope with sudden catastrophic loss. And at the heart of the book, balancing loss, there is always food: warming, adding flavour, expressing love and celebration.’ Maggie Gee OBE