Like Wafers in Honey A Novel by Leah Eskin

Rating: 5 star rating

This book is a beautiful historical fiction novel based on the real life of Edda Servi Machlin, the woman who wrote the cookbook,"The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews."

The author, Leah Eskin, is a food columnist, so her writing makes you feel like you can actually smell and taste everything on the page. She includes over 40 real recipes inside the chapters.

The story moves back and forth between two very different times. First, you follow a young Jewish girl named Stella Fortuna Servi in 1943 Italy. Her family lives in a mountaintop town, but when the Nazis arrive, a kind neighbor gives them a warning, and they have to run for their lives. Stella rushes into the countryside with her older brothers and her little sister, Marcella. They spend months hiding out in forests and caves, running from danger, and relying on the kindness of strangers. To keep her spirits up through the fear, Stella focuses on the memories of her mother’s cooking.

Decades later, in the 1960s, we see an older Stella, now going by her real name, Edda. She is now living as an immigrant housewife in suburban New York. She is dealing with culture shock, and she can't stand how bland and unauthentic American versions of Italian food are. 

While her husband, Eugene, gets involved in the civil rights movements, Edda realizes that her childhood culture is fading away, so she makes it her personal mission to write down her family's ancient recipes before they are lost forever.

Since this story is based on true events, the ending feels genuine.  Stella, her older brothers, and her little sister Marcella all survive those terrifying months in hiding and make it through the war safely by sticking together. Her dad, the town rabbi, sadly refuses to leave his community early on because he wants to keep helping his neighbors, but the family ultimately manages to escape the worst of the deportations all together and live to see the end of the conflict. 

Years later, in America, Edda's recipe saving project becomes a huge success, turning into her famous, real-life cookbook, and giving her life a beautiful sense of purpose. The two timelines wrap up showing that even if your original home is gone, you can keep the people you love alive through tradition. It is a comforting and moving read that proves heritage can outlast the forces trying to destroy it. I loved the story and highly recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley, Levine Querido, the author Leah Eskin, for the free book review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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