Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Eva Thorvald, the celebrated chef and mastermind behind the exclusive dining experience known as The Dinner, is the protagonist in this novel. Born and raised in the American Midwest, specifically in and around Minnesota, Eva’s journey spans from her modest beginnings to culinary stardom. Although she is the focal point of the story, it is only her teenage years, marked by school bullying and a penchant for cultivating intensely spicy chili peppers, which are recounted from her perspective in Chapter 2. The novel unfolds predominantly through a selection of outside viewpoints and peripherical characters other than Eva, which combine to give an image of her character.

Eva is often described as possessing a generational palette, and her father, Lars, nurtures her culinary prowess nearly from birth. He exposes her to specialty vegetables at farmers’ markets and crafts elaborate, albeit inappropriate, menus during her infancy. In almost every chapter, she is associated with an item of food. This underscores the theme of Food as a Source of Identity and Community; instead of characterizing Eva through interiority, Stradal partly characterizes her through her cooking or interactions with food.

Eva’s story is one of

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