Rom-com queen Nora Ephron's novel Heartburn turns 40 this year. Based on her marriage to Carl Bernstein, Heartburn follows Jewish food writer Rachel Samstat (based on Ephron), who moves from New York to Washington, D.C., in support of her husband, political journalist Mark Feldman (based on Bernstein). Seven months through her second pregnancy (the couple already have one young son), Rachel discovers Mark is having an affair with Thelma Rice (based on Bernstein's real lover, Margaret Jay, wife of the British ambassador). Rachel responds by spreading rumors about Thelma, vacillating between wanting Mark back and wanting to kill him, and taking comfort in her food writing. Ephron peppers the novel with recipes, one of which reemerged late last year in a social media tizzy over Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, Harry Styles and some salad dressing. Author Isabel Kaplan also wrote a piece recently in the Guardian about Heartburn and her own breakup. The book continues to resonate.
A film adaptation of Heartburn starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson was released in 1986, with Ephron adapting her own book into the screenplay. Despite repeated threats to sue over the novel and film, Carl Bernstein never did. On March 7, Vintage will release a 40th anniversary edition of Heartburn featuring a new foreword by actor, author and famous foodie Stanley Tucci. --Tobias Mutter
