{"product_id":"aftertaste-9781668061596","title":"Aftertaste","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A haunting evocation of pain and pleasure, and the power of food.\" --Nigella Lawson\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat if you could have one last meal with someone you've loved, someone you've lost? Combining the magic of \u003ci\u003eUnder the Whispering Door\u003c\/i\u003e with the high-stakes culinary world of \u003ci\u003eSweetbitter\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAftertaste\u003c\/i\u003e is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA food story to binge.\u003cbr\u003e A ghost story to devour.\u003cbr\u003e A love story to savor.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKonstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him ever since. Kostya can't exactly \u003ci\u003esee \u003c\/i\u003ethe ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he's never eaten will flood his mouth, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ea sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these \u003ci\u003eaftertastes\u003c\/i\u003e a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he's tasting. And everything changes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones--at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he's prepared. He thinks his life's purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, \u003ci\u003eAftertaste \u003c\/i\u003eis a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger--and how far we'd go to find satisfaction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaria Lavelle is an American fiction writer. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in the New York metro area, her work explores themes of identity and belonging through magic and the uncanny. Her short stories have appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Deadlands\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDread Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere, and she holds degrees in writing from Princeton University and Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, children, and goldendoodle, all of whom love a great meal almost as much as she does. Learn more at DariaLavelle.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51276896502034,"sku":"9781668061596","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3c7262d4-e1e7-4288-8cd6-8978e2d6a235.jpg?v=1756799198","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/aftertaste-9781668061596","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}