Bitter & Sweet

The lake in the middle of her father’s kitchen is only the first in a series of disasters in Zeina’s life. Nassar’s recent health crisis has seen his well-established community restaurant, Casablanca, losing ground and customers to trendier competition.

Casablanca’s deterioration is not the only chaos in Zeina’s world but, unlike her husband who won’t speak to her, her best friend who is sliding towards self-destruction, and her cousin who is stealing Zeina’s life story for content, the restaurant is something she can fix. And Zeina, lonely and adrift, needs something she can fix.

Taking leave from her prestigious chef position, Zeina throws herself into caring for her ailing father, immersing herself in the familiar foods and flavours of her childhood, trying to save both him and his restaurant. But working in the kitchen – and her childhood home – brings memories, secrets, and unexpected ambitions simmering to the surface.

When it comes time to make hard decisions, Zeina will have to accept that growing up is an ongoing process – one that never gets any easier.

Amal weaves love and longing into a rich tapestry of tradition and society, with a sharp but gentle insight. – Sulari Gentill

What a novel is Bitter & Sweet, so bright and alive. With a great warm rush of affection for her characters, Amal Awad offers us a story about place (and displacement), love in all its forms, family...and food! It's a great big serving of life, with a sprinkle of a heartache for good measure. I loved it. – Nigel Featherstone

Exquisite, delicious, soulful. I devoured it. – Kim Lock