This Feast of a Life

(Paperback)

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Description

From the author of If You Still Recognise Me comes a delicious story of two people brought together by a shared love of food as they figure out themselves and each other.

Auden is finding different ways to be themself. The first - using their new chosen name, which feels most authentically them. The second - starting a food blog where they can share their passion for food, through family recipes and the stories behind them. And when the blog brings them Valerie, they discover more than they'd ever expected.

It's been over a year since Valerie lost her mum - her beautiful, vibrant mum who loved cooking. Since her mum's death, Valerie and her dad have drifted further and further apart, the kitchen left cold and empty, until Valerie finds Auden's blog. The blog (and its writer) spark something in Valerie. Could she have found a recipe for happiness

Praise for If You Still Recognise Me:

"Cynthia So leans into the complex fluidity of relationships over time, across generations and communities, shaded by culture and circumstances. Elsie's story is romantic, warm, wise, and disarmingly sincere." - Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"An epic fandom, a scavenger hunt for a lost love and an ode to cultural inheritance - this is a wonderfully heartfelt and joyously queer romance" - Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

"If You Still Recognise Me is a poignant, perfectly formed debut about queer love, fandom and family." - Lex Croucher, author of Gwen and Art are Not in Love

"Refreshing, relatable and raw in its honesty, this is the book I wish I'd had as a queer teen discovering my identity." - Sarah Underwood, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

"Suffused with queer wistfulness and the ache to be known, So's debut is as intimate and revelatory as the first touch of a first crush's hand." - Riley Redgate, author of Seven Ways We Lie

Reviews

This Feast of a Life has everything - tender romance, delicious food, complicated but healing familial relationships, and the complex, truthful process of exploring one's identity... I have so much love for this book. -- Nadia Mikail, author of THE CATS WE MEET ALONG THE WAY
I devoured this delicious banquet of a novel. This is the non-binary coming of age story I needed as a teenager. -- Lauren James, author of LAST SEEN ONLINE
A celebration of queer joy, friendship and culture ... A richly woven story that will leave both your heart and your palate craving for more. -- Anika Hussain, author of THIS IS HOW YOU FALL IN LOVE
This Feast of a Life is a heartfelt love letter to food, queerness and Asian identity. To put it simply, I ate it up. -- Ann Zhao, author of DEAR WENDY
Nuanced, compassionate explorations of non-binary identity, life after bereavement and the complexities of love and attraction, all garnished with food descriptions to make your mouth water. Cynthia So is an essential voice in queer British writing. -- Sophie Cameron, author of AWAY WITH WORDS
Beautifully depicts the uncertainty and splendour of exploring identity, grief, and all the delicious joy life has to offer. -- Racquel Marie, author of OPHELIA AFTER ALL
A gorgeous, effortlessly queer story of grief, love, and a whole lot of food. This Feast of a Life was truly a delight. -- Anna Zoe Quirke, author of SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF
This is the kind of queer coming of age romance that teens deserve, in all its messy complexity, from the raw edges of grief to the giddy flushes of first kisses. -- Rowan Ellis, author of HERE AND QUEER
If Cynthia So writes it, I will read it. This Feast of a Life is an intricate, intimate, and beautifully written story of queer love and self-discovery; I ate it up in a single sitting. -- Sarah Underwood, author of LIES WE SING TO THE SEA
Cynthia So's books are heart-healers, stories which grip and enthral but which also wrap the reader in warmth, acceptance and love. A feast, a celebration of life, and a book which leaves you filled with joy and celebration. It's perfect. -- Sinad OHart, author of THE TIME TIDER

Author Bio

Cynthia So is the author of If You Still Recognise Me, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Childrens Book Prize and the YA Book Prize in 2023. They were one of the new voices in Proud, an anthology of LGBTQ+ YA stories, poems, and art by LGBTQ+ creators, published in 2019. Their short fiction and poetry have also appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Anathema, among others. Cynthia was born in Hong Kong and lives in London with their wife.