Kitchen Table Memoirs (Nick Richardson, ABC Books)

I have a love/hate relationship with anthologies; just as you settle into one story, the author and style changes—and not always for the better. On the other hand, anthologies also encourage readers to explore new authors and writing styles, and sometimes the most rewarding reading is the unexpected. Kitchen Table Memoirs lives up to its genre as a diverse and entertaining read. The selection, written by a range of authors, actors, comedians and academics, moves deftly from comedy to tragedy, feast to famine, and childhood to old age, with the odd recipe thrown in. Although many of the pieces are about the food on the table, some of the best are about the table itself and its role in the family. Helen Garner explores the consequence of a lack of a table, Ben Robertson considers the comfort provided by a table, and Martin Brown writes about the opportunities presented by a table—no matter how absurd. Despite its social conscience—the book supports the charity Foodbank—Kitchen Table Memoirs remains focussed on stories of the middle class, and Indigenous stories are lacking. This is not just a book for foodies, as it reaches more widely and will reward and amuse anyone who has sat at a kitchen table. This is a good choice for book clubs as there are plenty of polemical voices that clamour for attention.

Tim White is the co-owner of Books for Cooks in Melbourne

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews