This extraordinary book by John Lanchester begins with a purported Preface by its purported author, who goes by the suspiciously apt name of Tarquin Winot, and which (the reader learns at a much later stage of the book) has been adopted by the ‘author’ as more appropriate than his given names. And even the site from which he is writing, Hotel Splendide, Portsmouth, is suspiciously unreal, and a figment of the ‘author’s’ imagination.

And so, the unsuspecting reader who has taken the Preface at face value, thinks he or she is embarking on an erudite collection of menus and recipes, arranged according to the seasons of the year and compiled by a knowledgeable and insightful connoisseur of the many aspects of the culinary arts. In the course of the various disquisitions, asides and meandering comments which comprise the text we learn almost incidentally about the family, home-life and education of the ‘author,’ and the sundry fates that have befallen the various individuals mentioned.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the book is a carefully-assembled series of blind alleys and distractions from its real point, which is revealed only in the final chapter, where a honeymoon couple comes to stay with the author at his home in the south of France and we are given a glimpse of Tarquin’s extensive knowledge of the wide variety, uses and properties of wild mushrooms growing in the region. This is accompanied by an ‘account’ of the author’s last conversation with his now-defunct brother, in which he provides a lengthy and learned argument praising murder as the highest form of artistic endeavour.

Clues as to the true nature of the ‘author’ can be found throughout the book, but are apt to be overlooked by the inattentive reader until their cumulative effect obliges him or her to read with different eyes or a changed mindset. In the course of the book we are, of course, provided with actual recipes and menus, and although I have not tried any myself, I believe they are authentic. Tarquin Winot is extremely knowledgeable about the many aspects of the areas in which he claims to be expert, ranging from wines and cheeses to cooking methods throughout the world, peppering his text with references to myriad languages and cultures, both contemporary and classical.

The book provides a fascinating journey through different linguistic, national and culinary cultures, as well as constituting a challenge to the reader’s capacity to interpret a text on several levels simultaneously. Lanchester provides the reader with a well-written, intriguing and challenging text.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)