Aftertaste

Feast upon this year's most delicious debut novel: 'A fun romp through New York's food scene' Sunday Times

By: Daria Lavelle

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Paperback | 3 June 2025

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Paperback

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23.4 x 15.3

Paperback

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A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour.

When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure - something he's craved for as long as he can remember.

There are just three problems:

1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.

2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.

3. He's falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife - who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped.

A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death: the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.

About the Author

Daria Lavelle is a speculative 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 The Deadlands, Dread Machine, 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.

Industry Reviews

'Practically exploding with love, life and flavour' - LOUISE KENNEDY

'Bitingly inventive, written with humour and heart' - ELIZABETH DAY

'A hauntingly evocative journey through the realms of pain, pleasure and the power of food' - NIGELLA LAWSON

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