Kim Fay (The Map of Lost Memories; Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam) has created an unutterably delightful epistolary novel in Love & Saffron. Set in the early 1960s, when American food was mostly bland and unseasoned, Love & Saffron showcases the unlikely friendship of two women who are indelibly connected by their love for food.
Joan Bergstrom, 27, sends a fan letter and some saffron to magazine columnist Imogen Fortier, 59. Joan, a nascent newspaper food writer, lives in Los Angeles and has fairly adventurous tastebuds for the era. Since Imogen, who lives on an island near Seattle, often mentions clams in her column, Joan suggests that Imogen try mussels flavored with saffron and vermouth. Thus begins a years-long friendship-by-correspondence between the two women, which will see them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy assassination and their own personal triumphs and tragedies.
In this sweet, slender novel, Fay uses vibrant food descriptions to connect her two main characters and to assist them in coping with the dire news of an alarming era. As Imogen and Joan exchange recipes for carne asada and jerk chicken, they also begin to swap stories about their personal lives; and each helps the other's relationships and personal growth. Perfect for those burned out by current news cycles, Love & Saffron is a gentle escape to the past, and also a reminder both that others have survived "unprecedented times," and that deep connections can be made even when people are physically separated. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Flagstaff, Ariz.