The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

The film is coming – the film is coming.  So I grabbed this book off my shelves where it has been ignored for several years now. As always, I want to read the book before seeing the film (with Helen Mirren – oh boy).

I bought this paperback several years ago, solely based on the cover, call me shallow, but isn’t it delicious? See the gold embossing up the edge of the spine?…sigh.  My copy doesn’t have the red circle announcing the film.

Anyway, now to the book.  The Hundred Foot Journey tells the story of an Indian boy, Hassan Haji, whose family is forced to move from Mumbai, to England and finally to Lumiere, a small village in the French Alps.

They purchase a large country house and because Papa Haji is a entrepreneur and the aunt excels at Indian cuisine, they blithely open an Indian restaurant.  Just across the street is the Michelin starred restaurant of famous French chef, Madame Mallory.  As expected the cultures and cuisines clash, an Indian restaurant in the French countryside – mon dieu!  The main storyline follows the coming of age and the making of famous chef – young Hassan.

I found the book interesting and often captivating, but many aspects fell short for me.  The glimpses into the various cultures and their cuisine were superb – Mr. Morais obviously knows and loves food. The descriptions of meals served and eaten are cinematic (thus the film adaptation).  The kitchen scenes felt very realistic, but be warned  some of the meat slaughter and preparation scenes will have you contemplating vegetarianism.

The narrative fluctuates from first person to third person which I found a bit jarring and the pacing is a bit sporadic.  The book glossed over any real hurdles immigrant families might face – language, assimilation and what about the endless paperwork?

In the end, however, the food is the only thing that comes alive in this novel.  I found the characters lacking warmth or depth and some are an actual mockery – Papa Haji has a manufactured Indian dialect that I found condescending.  A relationship between Hassan and Margaret lacks any warmth or passion.  Hassan, robot-like, ascends the heights of his star chef status, without enthusiasm.   Madame Mallory is the most developed character, as Mr. Morais gives us insight into her past and emotions.  She is the one who singles Hassan out for greatness:    ”That skinny Indian teenager has that mysterious something that comes along once a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who is simply born. He is an artist.”

So why  did I finish this book? – THE FOOD – read this book for the vivid and mouthwatering descriptions of hot, frenetic kitchens, food lovingly prepared, wines carefully chosen and meals savored.

The real heart and soul of this book is the joy of cuisine.

Hoping to see the film soon.