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Chop Chop
An outrageously funny and original debut set in the fast-paced and treacherous world of a restaurant kitchen
Fresh out of the university with big dreams, our narrator is determined to escape his past and lead the literary life in London. But soon he is two months behind on rent for his depressing Camden Town bed-sit and forced to take a job doing grunt work in the kitchen of The Swan, a formerly grand restaurant that has lost its luster.
Mockingly called “Monocle” by his boisterous co-workers for a useless English lit degree, he is suddenly thrust into the unbelievably brutal, chaotic world of professional cooking and surrounded by a motley cast of co-workers for which no fancy education could have prepared him. There’s the lovably dim pastry chef Dibden, who takes all kinds of grief for his “girly” specialty; combative Ramilov, who spends a fair bit of time locked in the walk-in freezer for pissing people off; Racist Dave, about whom the less said the better; Camp Charles, the officious head waiter; and Harmony, the only woman in a world of raunchy, immature, drug- and rage-fueled men. But worst of all, there’s Bob, the sadistic head chef, who runs the kitchen with an iron fist and a taste for cruelty that surprises and terrifies even these most hardened of characters.
Once initiated and begrudgingly accepted, Monocle enters into a strange camaraderie with his fellow chefs, one based largely on the speed and ingenuity of their insults. In an atmosphere that is more akin to a zoo—or a maximum security prison—than a kitchen he feels oddly at home. But soon an altogether darker tale unfolds as Monocle and his co-workers devise a plot to overthrow Bob and Monocle’s dead-beat father (who has been kicked out of the family home) shows up at his door. Not only does his dad insist on sleeping on the floor of Monocle’s apartment; he starts hanging out at The Swan’s dissolute bar in the evenings. As the plan to oust Bob clicks into motion and the presence of his father causes Monocle to revisit lingering questions from his unhappy childhood, Chop Chop accelerates toward its blackly hilarious, thrilling, and ruthless conclusion.
Fresh out of the university with big dreams, our narrator is determined to escape his past and lead the literary life in London. But soon he is two months behind on rent for his depressing Camden Town bed-sit and forced to take a job doing grunt work in the kitchen of The Swan, a formerly grand restaurant that has lost its luster.
Mockingly called “Monocle” by his boisterous co-workers for a useless English lit degree, he is suddenly thrust into the unbelievably brutal, chaotic world of professional cooking and surrounded by a motley cast of co-workers for which no fancy education could have prepared him. There’s the lovably dim pastry chef Dibden, who takes all kinds of grief for his “girly” specialty; combative Ramilov, who spends a fair bit of time locked in the walk-in freezer for pissing people off; Racist Dave, about whom the less said the better; Camp Charles, the officious head waiter; and Harmony, the only woman in a world of raunchy, immature, drug- and rage-fueled men. But worst of all, there’s Bob, the sadistic head chef, who runs the kitchen with an iron fist and a taste for cruelty that surprises and terrifies even these most hardened of characters.
Once initiated and begrudgingly accepted, Monocle enters into a strange camaraderie with his fellow chefs, one based largely on the speed and ingenuity of their insults. In an atmosphere that is more akin to a zoo—or a maximum security prison—than a kitchen he feels oddly at home. But soon an altogether darker tale unfolds as Monocle and his co-workers devise a plot to overthrow Bob and Monocle’s dead-beat father (who has been kicked out of the family home) shows up at his door. Not only does his dad insist on sleeping on the floor of Monocle’s apartment; he starts hanging out at The Swan’s dissolute bar in the evenings. As the plan to oust Bob clicks into motion and the presence of his father causes Monocle to revisit lingering questions from his unhappy childhood, Chop Chop accelerates toward its blackly hilarious, thrilling, and ruthless conclusion.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2014
37 people are currently reading
1410 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
April 24, 2014
I worked as a waitress for a very long time. For years. For way, way too long. When I have anxiety dreams, I'm not naked at school on exam day- I'm back in the smoking section, with the wrong uniform . I don't know the specials, I can't get the Micros to work, and my section is slammed.
Chop Chop is set in the world of food service, and while it's chefs that are the heart of this story, the culture is the same. The strange, insular culture, the heat and rush and swearing and camaraderie. Of course, this is not just a story about chefs. This is a story of dysfunctional families- the real ones, and the ones we build, And... it's a story about darkness.
Funny, cruel, heartbreaking, snarky. Don't read this with an empty stomach. Or a weak one.
Chop Chop is set in the world of food service, and while it's chefs that are the heart of this story, the culture is the same. The strange, insular culture, the heat and rush and swearing and camaraderie. Of course, this is not just a story about chefs. This is a story of dysfunctional families- the real ones, and the ones we build, And... it's a story about darkness.
Funny, cruel, heartbreaking, snarky. Don't read this with an empty stomach. Or a weak one.
July 21, 2021
3.5-3.75?
having seen countless chef movies, the imagery in chop chop and the book as a whole rolled effortlessly through my mind like a film
i found the writing style to be quite addicting with the mc telling the story directly to the reader and being aware that they are writing a book
it was dark, disgusting, absolutely INSANE and im ngl i really enjoyed it. the toxic machismo and sadism that can exist in that environment was highlighted really well (i also liked how even the toughest ones were not hard all the way through)
two things rubbed me the wrong way
- why must there always be a racist? why do i have to read abt someone that is described as “racist, but…”
there shouldn’t be a but. i don’t need to read abt someone so prideful in their ignorance. why do we give him the voice to justify/correct his commentary but at no point is there someone to speak against what he says? kind of an ‘at least im not the racist’ attitude from the mc which isn’t much better. thankfully that part of his character wasn’t too too relevant nor frequent which didn’t ruin the book for me, but still.
- the characters of darik and shahram, especially the latter.
white authors, i promise you,
1. your book does not need pocs/immigrants on the sidelines that you use for mockery or token diversity.
2. not all pocs/immigrants are unable to speak english and even if that was the authors experience, writing them as such perpetuates ignorance regarding the intelligence of immigrants. there was legit a part where the mc questions if shahram even knows what tarragon is. MY GUY, so many spices including tarragon come from west asia. he may not know the spice’s name in english, but he sure as hell knows tarragon better than you.
3. DO YOUR RESEARCH. shahram is a persian name. someone makes a terrorist joke abt him which has connotations of islamophobia but mostly bigotry against arabs. then he’s said to be singing his hindi songs to himself. those are three different identities/cultures. a whole mess from the author going to show that an immigrant’s identity doesn’t matter to others beyond the fact that they’re “different.”
feels even worse next to the fact that the author included a racist character.
anyway, just wanna add that u can enjoy smtg and still be critical abt it! i wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book but i know i’ll be thinking abt it for a long time and i’m glad i picked it up.
having seen countless chef movies, the imagery in chop chop and the book as a whole rolled effortlessly through my mind like a film
i found the writing style to be quite addicting with the mc telling the story directly to the reader and being aware that they are writing a book
it was dark, disgusting, absolutely INSANE and im ngl i really enjoyed it. the toxic machismo and sadism that can exist in that environment was highlighted really well (i also liked how even the toughest ones were not hard all the way through)
two things rubbed me the wrong way
- why must there always be a racist? why do i have to read abt someone that is described as “racist, but…”
there shouldn’t be a but. i don’t need to read abt someone so prideful in their ignorance. why do we give him the voice to justify/correct his commentary but at no point is there someone to speak against what he says? kind of an ‘at least im not the racist’ attitude from the mc which isn’t much better. thankfully that part of his character wasn’t too too relevant nor frequent which didn’t ruin the book for me, but still.
- the characters of darik and shahram, especially the latter.
white authors, i promise you,
1. your book does not need pocs/immigrants on the sidelines that you use for mockery or token diversity.
2. not all pocs/immigrants are unable to speak english and even if that was the authors experience, writing them as such perpetuates ignorance regarding the intelligence of immigrants. there was legit a part where the mc questions if shahram even knows what tarragon is. MY GUY, so many spices including tarragon come from west asia. he may not know the spice’s name in english, but he sure as hell knows tarragon better than you.
3. DO YOUR RESEARCH. shahram is a persian name. someone makes a terrorist joke abt him which has connotations of islamophobia but mostly bigotry against arabs. then he’s said to be singing his hindi songs to himself. those are three different identities/cultures. a whole mess from the author going to show that an immigrant’s identity doesn’t matter to others beyond the fact that they’re “different.”
feels even worse next to the fact that the author included a racist character.
anyway, just wanna add that u can enjoy smtg and still be critical abt it! i wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book but i know i’ll be thinking abt it for a long time and i’m glad i picked it up.
May 11, 2017
Review to come after my Killers of the Flower Moon write-up is done (it's pretty long).
June 5, 2014
It's a dark comedy, but it's a family story. It's about a restaurant, but it's also about finding one's place in the world. It's about that most concrete of human needs -- food -- but there are interludes almost fanciful in their detail. It takes place at the beginning of a young man's adult life, but it's really about our pasts and how we can't ever truly leave them behind.
Simon Wroe draws upon his experience working in kitchens to tell the story of Monocle, a recent university graduate knocking around London, who takes a job as a commis in the kitchen of The Swan, a neighborhood restaurant in Camden Town. As the low man on the cooks' totem pole, he does the scut work and bears the brutality of boss Bob, along with the rest of the kitchen staff. The interwoven stories of these men, Monocle's father, and the dreaded patron named The Fat Man lead us to three downfalls, all terrible and different from each other.
It's hard to believe that Wroe is a first-time novelist, given the surehandedness of his prose and the tight storytelling. He's written a funny, touching, snarky, and very realistic story. I can't wait to see what he does next.
*Since I get to edit this, I have to add "gleefully obscene" to this review. The kitchen staff is perfectly rendered and their constant chatter fits them to a T.
Simon Wroe draws upon his experience working in kitchens to tell the story of Monocle, a recent university graduate knocking around London, who takes a job as a commis in the kitchen of The Swan, a neighborhood restaurant in Camden Town. As the low man on the cooks' totem pole, he does the scut work and bears the brutality of boss Bob, along with the rest of the kitchen staff. The interwoven stories of these men, Monocle's father, and the dreaded patron named The Fat Man lead us to three downfalls, all terrible and different from each other.
It's hard to believe that Wroe is a first-time novelist, given the surehandedness of his prose and the tight storytelling. He's written a funny, touching, snarky, and very realistic story. I can't wait to see what he does next.
*Since I get to edit this, I have to add "gleefully obscene" to this review. The kitchen staff is perfectly rendered and their constant chatter fits them to a T.
June 1, 2017
I read 'Chop Chop' having found it in the library and been intrigued by the cover. The cover suggested to me a knockabout comedy set in the macho world of the kitchen.
'Chop Chop' is indeed a funny book but there is also a far sadder, tragic and nuanced backstory concerning the protagonist/narrator, and this gave the book a dramatic depth.
I really enjoyed 'Chop Chop': engrossing, informative, cleverly written and narrated, unusual, creepy, sad and ultimately quite uplifting.
In summary, shocking and brutal but also perceptive, insightful and witty. I'll definitely seek out more books by Simon Wroe.
Note to self: never ever seek work in a kitchen
4/5
'Chop Chop' is indeed a funny book but there is also a far sadder, tragic and nuanced backstory concerning the protagonist/narrator, and this gave the book a dramatic depth.
I really enjoyed 'Chop Chop': engrossing, informative, cleverly written and narrated, unusual, creepy, sad and ultimately quite uplifting.
In summary, shocking and brutal but also perceptive, insightful and witty. I'll definitely seek out more books by Simon Wroe.
Note to self: never ever seek work in a kitchen
4/5
June 7, 2015
OMG! This was a spectacular read centering around the life of a chef. The references to food and cooking had me reaching for my dictionary, consequently I learnt so much about food. On a deeper level the exploration of family relationships and associated emotional landmines is truly insightful. Running all the way through is delicious black humour with many gruesome scenes that had me laughing and then shocked to the core. Writing at its very best.
August 28, 2016
What’s It About?
Monocle (not his real name) is an out of work wannabe writer slumming it in London. Unable to afford rent, food or a decent novel, he decides to take-on menial work at a gastro-pub called The Swan. It’s a decision that turns out to be both the best and worst of his life.
Should I read it?
Absolutely yes! What’s interesting is that while the book is chock-full of swearing and some outright disgusting moments involving food, Wroe perfectly captures both the nail-biting tension and the romance of working in a kitchen. It’s also bloody funny. It’s not perfect novel (read the commentary to find out why) but it’s immensely entertaining.
Representative Paragraph
This time I’m going for two representative paragraphs (I know, controversial!)
"Whatever you say about Bob (and many things have been said), he was a master of cruelty. The man had an appreciation for a wide variety of punishments—spoons left on the burner until they were white-hot pressed into flesh, dish cloths soaked and twisted for whipping—though his favorites were the ones that messed with the mind, the psychological tortures. He would let a finished plate fall from his fingers and smash on the floor if he didn’t like one aspect of the ensemble and sometimes for no reason at all, except presumably to teach us that life was as arbitrary as it was cruel. The fridge was quite a custom of Bob’s. By forcing the other chefs to cover for HE WHO HAD SINNED, also known as Ramilov, it skewed the emotions and allegiances of the entire brigade. When the prisoner finally emerged, shivering and blinking into the fluorescent light, sympathy was in short supply. The sentence proved the crime. The lobsters were a new touch, but that was Bob: the man had an exquisite grasp of suffering; he was an innovator of pain. It was a rare genius that unleashed the lobsters before looking for the victim."
and…
"These men—the hopeless, slack-jawed cases are always men—form the backbone of the catering industry, though you will never see them on television or grinning from the cover of a cookbook. They are not champions of local produce or heroes of a certain gastronomic movement. They do not believe strongly in freshly ground black pepper or artisan bread. They are guided only by their indifference toward cooking and their antipathy toward everything else. Every year or so they will move to another town or city to “make a new start,” telling anyone who will listen that this time will be different, that they have always wanted to live in _____ and never liked _____ anyway. You may see this type of chef smoking outside a cheap but still overpriced restaurant in, say, Victoria on any given day. A broken individual, leaning against the wall with ugly, lightless eyes and a miserable face that long ago stopped wondering where it all went wrong."
Commentary
Recently I’ve read a number of very serious and very earnest novels. Whether it involves the death of a four year old or a coup d’état on a fictional Caribbean island or a woman suffering from dementia, there’s been very few laughs.
Thank God for Chop Chop then.
Simon Wroe’s début novel is funny and thrilling and has the best opening chapter I’ve read all year. Chop Chop draws from Wroe’s experiences working in a kitchen and as a result the novel is populated with a bunch of larger than life characters who, at the same time, feel exactly like the sort of people you’d expect to be involved in food preparation. We’ve got Racist Dave who more than lives up to his name, and Ramilov with his zombie-like hands and Bob the cruel head Chef and the Fat Man whose sadistic antics fuel the second, much darker half of the novel. We also have our narrator, Monocle, whose literary aspirations means he thinks he’s far too good to be chopping carrots in a kitchen.
As the story is told from Monocle’s perspective, there is this lovely faux literary quality to the prose. This is hilariously juxtaposed with a good smattering of coarse, racist, sexist language and chorus-like interruptions from Racist Dave and Ramilov who are apparently reading drafts of each chapter as Monocle finishes them.
For all the fun and games, the second half of the novel is dark and tense. The Fat Man is a mafioso type who holds sway over the kitchen staff of The Swan and especially the head Chef Bob. While his machinations are foreshadowed by Monocle earlier in the novel, the scenes that take place in the Fat Man’s kitchen involving live animals (I’ll say no more) are grotesque and confronting.
Chop Chop‘s not perfect though, Wroe’s attempt to inject a serious element to the novel with the introduction of Monocle’s father falls flat. Their strained relationship stems from the death of Monocle’s sportier and more popular brother. This results in exchanges of the “you wished I’d died instead of him” variety. It’s all a bit on the nose, a false note in an otherwise cliché free novel.
The other weakness is the treatment of woman. From the outset it’s clear that the sexism and racism spouted by the characters – mostly Racist Dave – are not a reflection of the author’s worldview but instead mimic what’s actually said in a kitchen. I’m fine with that. However, it’s annoying that the one woman who works with the men, Harmony, is not only characterised as an ice-queen (because how else could she deal with such a toxic environment) but is also a figure of love and lust for Monocle. This is partly addressed by Monocle (and Wroe); he’s uncomfortable that he treats Harmony like the Platonic ideal of a woman. It doesn’t change his attitude toward her and it’s a shame that we only get a glimpse of Harmony the person toward the end of the novel.
In spite of its imperfections, I still loved this book. And it’s not just because this is my first sip of water in a desert of tragedy and tears. Chop Chop is an incredibly entertaining novel that for all its psychological torture of the kitchen staff and icky moments involving poultry and pus, still highlights the creativity and passion that goes into the making of fine food.
Monocle (not his real name) is an out of work wannabe writer slumming it in London. Unable to afford rent, food or a decent novel, he decides to take-on menial work at a gastro-pub called The Swan. It’s a decision that turns out to be both the best and worst of his life.
Should I read it?
Absolutely yes! What’s interesting is that while the book is chock-full of swearing and some outright disgusting moments involving food, Wroe perfectly captures both the nail-biting tension and the romance of working in a kitchen. It’s also bloody funny. It’s not perfect novel (read the commentary to find out why) but it’s immensely entertaining.
Representative Paragraph
This time I’m going for two representative paragraphs (I know, controversial!)
"Whatever you say about Bob (and many things have been said), he was a master of cruelty. The man had an appreciation for a wide variety of punishments—spoons left on the burner until they were white-hot pressed into flesh, dish cloths soaked and twisted for whipping—though his favorites were the ones that messed with the mind, the psychological tortures. He would let a finished plate fall from his fingers and smash on the floor if he didn’t like one aspect of the ensemble and sometimes for no reason at all, except presumably to teach us that life was as arbitrary as it was cruel. The fridge was quite a custom of Bob’s. By forcing the other chefs to cover for HE WHO HAD SINNED, also known as Ramilov, it skewed the emotions and allegiances of the entire brigade. When the prisoner finally emerged, shivering and blinking into the fluorescent light, sympathy was in short supply. The sentence proved the crime. The lobsters were a new touch, but that was Bob: the man had an exquisite grasp of suffering; he was an innovator of pain. It was a rare genius that unleashed the lobsters before looking for the victim."
and…
"These men—the hopeless, slack-jawed cases are always men—form the backbone of the catering industry, though you will never see them on television or grinning from the cover of a cookbook. They are not champions of local produce or heroes of a certain gastronomic movement. They do not believe strongly in freshly ground black pepper or artisan bread. They are guided only by their indifference toward cooking and their antipathy toward everything else. Every year or so they will move to another town or city to “make a new start,” telling anyone who will listen that this time will be different, that they have always wanted to live in _____ and never liked _____ anyway. You may see this type of chef smoking outside a cheap but still overpriced restaurant in, say, Victoria on any given day. A broken individual, leaning against the wall with ugly, lightless eyes and a miserable face that long ago stopped wondering where it all went wrong."
Commentary
Recently I’ve read a number of very serious and very earnest novels. Whether it involves the death of a four year old or a coup d’état on a fictional Caribbean island or a woman suffering from dementia, there’s been very few laughs.
Thank God for Chop Chop then.
Simon Wroe’s début novel is funny and thrilling and has the best opening chapter I’ve read all year. Chop Chop draws from Wroe’s experiences working in a kitchen and as a result the novel is populated with a bunch of larger than life characters who, at the same time, feel exactly like the sort of people you’d expect to be involved in food preparation. We’ve got Racist Dave who more than lives up to his name, and Ramilov with his zombie-like hands and Bob the cruel head Chef and the Fat Man whose sadistic antics fuel the second, much darker half of the novel. We also have our narrator, Monocle, whose literary aspirations means he thinks he’s far too good to be chopping carrots in a kitchen.
As the story is told from Monocle’s perspective, there is this lovely faux literary quality to the prose. This is hilariously juxtaposed with a good smattering of coarse, racist, sexist language and chorus-like interruptions from Racist Dave and Ramilov who are apparently reading drafts of each chapter as Monocle finishes them.
For all the fun and games, the second half of the novel is dark and tense. The Fat Man is a mafioso type who holds sway over the kitchen staff of The Swan and especially the head Chef Bob. While his machinations are foreshadowed by Monocle earlier in the novel, the scenes that take place in the Fat Man’s kitchen involving live animals (I’ll say no more) are grotesque and confronting.
Chop Chop‘s not perfect though, Wroe’s attempt to inject a serious element to the novel with the introduction of Monocle’s father falls flat. Their strained relationship stems from the death of Monocle’s sportier and more popular brother. This results in exchanges of the “you wished I’d died instead of him” variety. It’s all a bit on the nose, a false note in an otherwise cliché free novel.
The other weakness is the treatment of woman. From the outset it’s clear that the sexism and racism spouted by the characters – mostly Racist Dave – are not a reflection of the author’s worldview but instead mimic what’s actually said in a kitchen. I’m fine with that. However, it’s annoying that the one woman who works with the men, Harmony, is not only characterised as an ice-queen (because how else could she deal with such a toxic environment) but is also a figure of love and lust for Monocle. This is partly addressed by Monocle (and Wroe); he’s uncomfortable that he treats Harmony like the Platonic ideal of a woman. It doesn’t change his attitude toward her and it’s a shame that we only get a glimpse of Harmony the person toward the end of the novel.
In spite of its imperfections, I still loved this book. And it’s not just because this is my first sip of water in a desert of tragedy and tears. Chop Chop is an incredibly entertaining novel that for all its psychological torture of the kitchen staff and icky moments involving poultry and pus, still highlights the creativity and passion that goes into the making of fine food.
January 22, 2021
Jeff says:
With a degree in English lit and dreams of being a writer but no money to pay his rent, the narrator, known only by his nickname “Monocle,” takes a job at nearby restaurant The Swan, which is reminiscent of “Hell’s Kitchen.” The Swan is run by Chef Bob, who seems worse than Chef Gordon Ramsay, and just when Monocle thinks things can’t get any worse, his father shows up needing a place to stay. If this was a television show, a lot of words would be bleeped out, so be warned that this is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy bleak, dark British humor, then you might enjoy this novel about what it's like to work in a restaurant that has seen better days along with a staff that's in the same condition.
With a degree in English lit and dreams of being a writer but no money to pay his rent, the narrator, known only by his nickname “Monocle,” takes a job at nearby restaurant The Swan, which is reminiscent of “Hell’s Kitchen.” The Swan is run by Chef Bob, who seems worse than Chef Gordon Ramsay, and just when Monocle thinks things can’t get any worse, his father shows up needing a place to stay. If this was a television show, a lot of words would be bleeped out, so be warned that this is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy bleak, dark British humor, then you might enjoy this novel about what it's like to work in a restaurant that has seen better days along with a staff that's in the same condition.
November 5, 2014
There's a delicious, sly delivery of literary allusions and foreshadowing in this coming of age story set in a London restaurant. To escape family dysfunction, a recent university graduate moves to Camden Town and takes a job as a commis, the low man in a kitchen. Crude, colorful characters brighten this darkly comic, grotesque tale, written with the flair of a nineteenth century novel.
February 8, 2014
Take a deep breath, damp down your sensitivities, and get ready for Simon Wroe to take you on a wild ride. His novel, CHOP CHOP, rolls through the manic world of a restaurant kitchen where the characters are bizarre, the storyline is dark, and the antics are either comical or distressing, depending on your point of view.
The narrator is a young fellow just out of college, intent on a career of writing, but who has to take a menial job in the kitchen of a faded restaurant that’s had better days. The executive chef, Bob, is a tyrant, full of bluster and anger, and who takes delight in terrorizing his staff. Various methods of burning the extremities of his co-workers are used to punish for transgressions that annoy him. He is a slave-driver who never tires of driving the help to exhaustion while using fear as a controlling mechanism.
Enter The Fat Man, a mysterious client with immense powers who demands huge portions of exotic food to satisfy his slovenly eating habits. When the under chefs conspire to sabotage an important meal being served to The Fat Man and his important companions by Bob, the details of which I leave to you, dear reader, the entire evening turns to disaster. Bob is fired, the restaurant is forced to close, and the employees are out of work. Mission accomplished—sort of.
The first part of the book is used by the author to get the reader finely tuned into the crazy world of restaurant operations, the zany personalities of his characters, and the manic activities that take place there. Wroe constantly warns readers that the worst is yet to come, although that seems hard to believe based on what has already been described. The second half of the book is dedicated to the operations sans Bob, how the characters adapt to new procedures, and how The Fat Man might have the last laugh, although the laughter might be a little strained. His eating habits turn grotesque, he terrorizes the chefs at a higher level than Bob ever thought about, and the ending is satisfying—sort of.
Wroe is incredibly talented. CHOP CHOP is his first novel and, with his background as a former chef providing the guidance, he has produced a black comedy that sparkles. The grammar and dialect has a uniquely British turn and is well constructed to make the humor dry and witty. Even as horrible scenes unfold, the humor behind the concept is captivating and rises above the blue language and gory details.
I like this book a lot. Simon Wroe has a great future and it will be interesting to see what topic he selects for his next novel. His knowledge of the restaurant kitchen scene has been strikingly affirmed. Hopefully he is not a one-trick pony and can come up with another story just as authentic and enjoyable.
The narrator is a young fellow just out of college, intent on a career of writing, but who has to take a menial job in the kitchen of a faded restaurant that’s had better days. The executive chef, Bob, is a tyrant, full of bluster and anger, and who takes delight in terrorizing his staff. Various methods of burning the extremities of his co-workers are used to punish for transgressions that annoy him. He is a slave-driver who never tires of driving the help to exhaustion while using fear as a controlling mechanism.
Enter The Fat Man, a mysterious client with immense powers who demands huge portions of exotic food to satisfy his slovenly eating habits. When the under chefs conspire to sabotage an important meal being served to The Fat Man and his important companions by Bob, the details of which I leave to you, dear reader, the entire evening turns to disaster. Bob is fired, the restaurant is forced to close, and the employees are out of work. Mission accomplished—sort of.
The first part of the book is used by the author to get the reader finely tuned into the crazy world of restaurant operations, the zany personalities of his characters, and the manic activities that take place there. Wroe constantly warns readers that the worst is yet to come, although that seems hard to believe based on what has already been described. The second half of the book is dedicated to the operations sans Bob, how the characters adapt to new procedures, and how The Fat Man might have the last laugh, although the laughter might be a little strained. His eating habits turn grotesque, he terrorizes the chefs at a higher level than Bob ever thought about, and the ending is satisfying—sort of.
Wroe is incredibly talented. CHOP CHOP is his first novel and, with his background as a former chef providing the guidance, he has produced a black comedy that sparkles. The grammar and dialect has a uniquely British turn and is well constructed to make the humor dry and witty. Even as horrible scenes unfold, the humor behind the concept is captivating and rises above the blue language and gory details.
I like this book a lot. Simon Wroe has a great future and it will be interesting to see what topic he selects for his next novel. His knowledge of the restaurant kitchen scene has been strikingly affirmed. Hopefully he is not a one-trick pony and can come up with another story just as authentic and enjoyable.
January 27, 2015
Movido por la necesidad de realizar una importante confesión y de esclarecer al máximo posible los detalles de un turbio crimen cometido en circunstancias extremas, el protagonista de esta novela comienza la historia narrando su llegada a las cocinas de un restaurante situado en Camden Town cuyo jefe es conocido sobre todo por su afición a infligir castigos desproporcionados a sus trabajadores. Poco a poco iremos descubriendo los dramáticos antecedentes personales del narrador (un joven cándido e inexperto recién licenciado en Literatura que además huye de una familia desestructurada) y conociendo más detalles sobre la arriesgada jornada laboral de una cuadrilla de cocineros compuesta por personajes absolutamente esperpénticos e inolvidables. No cabe duda de que Simon Wroe, el ex chef y actual periodista gastronómico que ha dado vida a esta deliciosa novela, conoce su profesión a las mil maravillas y se desenvuelve estupendamente bien entre los opresivos humos de una cocina cargada de malos rollos. Lejos de optar por esa versión bucólica y a todas luces tergiversada que pretenden inculcarnos la mayoría de actuales programas televisivos, El chef ofrece una perspectiva mucho más realista del mundillo culinario en el que salen a relucir los instintos más bajos del ser humano, la competitividad encarnizada de unos trabajadores poco menos que explotados y los oscuros trapicheos de personas poco recomendables que suelen rondar determinados círculos de bajo fondo. La sinopsis de esta novela prometía encajar sin grandes complicaciones con mis preferencias literarias, pero a decir verdad nunca pensé que iba a terminar gustándome tanto la divertidísima, mordaz y entrañable obra de Simon Wroe. Escrita con verdadera pasión y un incontestable talento, El chef es mucho más que un simple libro de recetas o una siniestra crónica underground de la oferta culinaria londinense; también es una conmovedora historia de crecimiento y superación personal en un mundo construido a base de expectativas frustradas, un relato que ahonda como una certera cuchillada en el complejo mundo de las relaciones familiares y nos enseña a buscar la reconciliación con nuestro pasado en lugares tan insólitos como el viejo y desportillado fondo de una olla a presión.
March 25, 2014
Mega massive love for this one! This new novel, about to be published next month (cheers for the free giveaway copy Goodreads!) combines two of my favourite things in the wide world: fiction and food. Three if you want to add black humour into the mix.
After reading 'Kill Your Friends' and 'Kill Your Boss' this year, I was expecting 'Chop Chop' to be much the same but set in a restaurant. Like the two previously mentioned novels, 'Chop Chop' is as dark as it is hilarious, but unlike them, there is a lot more humanity, conscience and tenderness within the pages. What starts off solely as a pitch perfect description of life in the service industry (and I've worked in a restaurant for a couple of years in my student days and can vouch for authenticity here), gradually reveals further layers when we begin to get family flashbacks pertaining to our main character and a storyline involving a very fat man and his secretive and shady ways.
Cracking dialogue and riotous descriptions of nights in the Swan, the restaurant where much of the action takes place, often gives way to philosophical musings and meandering reflections. But rather than giving the novel a maudlin or jarring feel to it, it serves to personalise the characters a lot more, which can be quite hard when you spend a decent amount of time taking the piss or telling jokes.
Simon Wroe, the author, is a former chef, and the write what you know maxim serves him well here. On top of that, he is clearly a pretty gifted writer and hilarious to boot but never at the expense of his characters. Even the dim, dirty and unsavoury ones have a tenderness about them and you know Wroe truly cares about the people he has created. I did too.
An excellent book.
After reading 'Kill Your Friends' and 'Kill Your Boss' this year, I was expecting 'Chop Chop' to be much the same but set in a restaurant. Like the two previously mentioned novels, 'Chop Chop' is as dark as it is hilarious, but unlike them, there is a lot more humanity, conscience and tenderness within the pages. What starts off solely as a pitch perfect description of life in the service industry (and I've worked in a restaurant for a couple of years in my student days and can vouch for authenticity here), gradually reveals further layers when we begin to get family flashbacks pertaining to our main character and a storyline involving a very fat man and his secretive and shady ways.
Cracking dialogue and riotous descriptions of nights in the Swan, the restaurant where much of the action takes place, often gives way to philosophical musings and meandering reflections. But rather than giving the novel a maudlin or jarring feel to it, it serves to personalise the characters a lot more, which can be quite hard when you spend a decent amount of time taking the piss or telling jokes.
Simon Wroe, the author, is a former chef, and the write what you know maxim serves him well here. On top of that, he is clearly a pretty gifted writer and hilarious to boot but never at the expense of his characters. Even the dim, dirty and unsavoury ones have a tenderness about them and you know Wroe truly cares about the people he has created. I did too.
An excellent book.
April 6, 2014
Chop Chop
Simon Wroe
I will freely admit that I am a sucker for foodie fiction. Reading about the folks that prepare the dishes, from down-home cooks to Michelin starred chefs, never fails to grab to my interest. I can trace my fascination back to the first time I read Like Water For Chocolate - what we put in our mouths becomes us, and the hands that prepare our meals contribute more than just their time and skill. Each morsel is representative of that chef's story, their joy, their pain.
When an author is successful, they can do a reader right into that world and allow them to experience it with more than just their senses of taste and smell. In a good "cooking" book, readers get to live as a chef for an all-too-brief moment in time.
In Chop Chop, we follow the story of man who learns to become a chef in a torture chamber masquerading as a restaurant kitchen. As he tells his story we are able to learn through him all about the intricacies of what it takes to survive a food service as a chef, learning the lingo and the roles each person plays in the kitchen.
I am done rambling :) I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like reading about food (and don't mind a gruesomeness and salty language along the way) I fully recommend it. 4 stars out of 5.
Simon Wroe
I will freely admit that I am a sucker for foodie fiction. Reading about the folks that prepare the dishes, from down-home cooks to Michelin starred chefs, never fails to grab to my interest. I can trace my fascination back to the first time I read Like Water For Chocolate - what we put in our mouths becomes us, and the hands that prepare our meals contribute more than just their time and skill. Each morsel is representative of that chef's story, their joy, their pain.
When an author is successful, they can do a reader right into that world and allow them to experience it with more than just their senses of taste and smell. In a good "cooking" book, readers get to live as a chef for an all-too-brief moment in time.
In Chop Chop, we follow the story of man who learns to become a chef in a torture chamber masquerading as a restaurant kitchen. As he tells his story we are able to learn through him all about the intricacies of what it takes to survive a food service as a chef, learning the lingo and the roles each person plays in the kitchen.
I am done rambling :) I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like reading about food (and don't mind a gruesomeness and salty language along the way) I fully recommend it. 4 stars out of 5.
August 1, 2018
The narrator of this wild and outrageous debut novel is a would-be novelist who takes a shit job in a shit kitchen in a shit restaurant. The large cast of despicable kitchen bullies each are vividly drawn, and two of the chefs enter the narrative as editors and commentators on the final "draft" of the story. I loved the amped-up, electric voice in Chop Chop and many of the passages are beautifully written. The story takes quite a while to take off, since it is narrated in retrospect, and there are so many dark warnings that I wished the author had cut back on some of the foreshadowing and gotten to the climactic scene earlier. There's also a little bit of disconnect between the back story of the narrator's family and the fable-like story of The Swan and the debt that each of the chefs has to pay to the devil-like "Fat Guy." The loose ends of the plot are redeemed by the gorgeous final scenes (not described here because I don't like to spoil the plot). Simon Wroe is such a gifted writer! I look forward to reading his next work.
February 11, 2015
Apparently I am possibly the only on here who feels this way... however...
This book was so boring that I couldn't go any further and finish it. Granted I did make it passed halfway and at the beginning I couldn't put it down. The problem was, all of a sudden it just stopped going anywhere. Suddenly its just breezing by, even when the person who was the problem starts coming back that "BANG" this book had at the beginning wasn't even there, a fraction, but not a big enough fraction in my case. To the point where I don't care to give it another try. I wouldn't recommend it personally. But that is just me.
This book was so boring that I couldn't go any further and finish it. Granted I did make it passed halfway and at the beginning I couldn't put it down. The problem was, all of a sudden it just stopped going anywhere. Suddenly its just breezing by, even when the person who was the problem starts coming back that "BANG" this book had at the beginning wasn't even there, a fraction, but not a big enough fraction in my case. To the point where I don't care to give it another try. I wouldn't recommend it personally. But that is just me.
April 13, 2015
De los libros que más he disfrutado en toda mi vida. Los conflictos emocionales del narrador (un pobre ayudante cocina con una licenciatura en letras y delirios de grandeza machacados al puro y devastador humor británico) se juntan de manera divertidísima con los locos de la cocina. Personajes entrañables que parecen sacados de alguna prisión pero con el carisma y la mariconez de los sibaritas aparecen bailoteando en un restaurante cinco estrellas que vale la pena visitar.
Amé el texto de principio a fin.
Amé el texto de principio a fin.
October 18, 2021
“You can never do enough for the people you love. You can never be enough. You can never say enough. Sometimes you have to accept you can never do enough... Then you leave that thought behind, in the past, where it belongs. And you start from where you are.”
A dark comedy (NSFW) set in a British pub kitchen, ‘Chop Chop’ is ultimately about chosen family. At turns a bit self indulgent and precious, often grandiose, mostly filthy. You know, like life. I liked it.
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I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
A dark comedy (NSFW) set in a British pub kitchen, ‘Chop Chop’ is ultimately about chosen family. At turns a bit self indulgent and precious, often grandiose, mostly filthy. You know, like life. I liked it.
-----------------
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
February 14, 2017
Chop Chop is satisfying adult fiction. Equally crude and thoughtful. Piss and poetry. Loved it.
July 26, 2025
Amazed I finished this book! It’s for our foodie book club. Some parts of it so gross I almost couldn’t read it. It was poorly written.
January 27, 2024
Demasiado largo, me costó acabarlo incluso pensé en abandonarlo. No conseguí conectar con el protagonista
January 30, 2020
Hilarious but harsh realities of contemporary kitchen as a workplace. Excellent characterization.
February 25, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. From the fiercely funny descriptions of sordid characters to the poignant moments of family tragedy, I marvelled at how beautifully wrought this book is.
July 7, 2018
I was torn between3 and 4 stars for this book. While it didn't blow me away, I was still really impressed with it, hence the 4. It was pure creativity and fun with language, combining "write what you know" with appropriate flights of imagination.
From what I recall of the service industry (I've never been a chef but I've worked a server and my first ever job was as a fry cook), this is a picture perfect caricature of what it feels like in a working kitchen. The pressure, the tensions but also how it brings you closer to people once you've hardened enough. The Swan does seem to attract people who have sort of not managed in other kitchens and even worse in the world outside, so there's also a sort of rebellion to them, the decadence of desperation.
The story moves along at an odd pace and the different threads don't quite interweave in places, but that also corresponds with the picture he paints of how his job affects the narrator. While there is a life outside the kitchen, the narrator finds it increasingly surreal, and coupled with a past he's trying to hide from, the feeling of him never fully understanding anything that's happening makes sense. But it is the kitchen scenes that make it, it feels like the other stuff is there just to prove that this is a real novel rather than an autobiography.
From what I recall of the service industry (I've never been a chef but I've worked a server and my first ever job was as a fry cook), this is a picture perfect caricature of what it feels like in a working kitchen. The pressure, the tensions but also how it brings you closer to people once you've hardened enough. The Swan does seem to attract people who have sort of not managed in other kitchens and even worse in the world outside, so there's also a sort of rebellion to them, the decadence of desperation.
The story moves along at an odd pace and the different threads don't quite interweave in places, but that also corresponds with the picture he paints of how his job affects the narrator. While there is a life outside the kitchen, the narrator finds it increasingly surreal, and coupled with a past he's trying to hide from, the feeling of him never fully understanding anything that's happening makes sense. But it is the kitchen scenes that make it, it feels like the other stuff is there just to prove that this is a real novel rather than an autobiography.
March 15, 2017
Very funny, scary, thus engaging and, having been in the business, also familiar; a good read all in all.
February 3, 2018
Chop Chop will brush you up on your french (or pick up a new language if you dont already know it). You'll master culinary terms that can/and are actually used in the real world. It will definitely have you grabbing for a dictionary or culinary dictionary. Lastly, it may even spark motivation within you to go and make your own buerre blanc avec rotissoire poulet.
Chop chop is a dark comedy about the world of culinary kitchen--well five chef's lives in London. But the real world of culinary culture is not far off from this work of fiction. The comedy in this adventure filled book definitely lightens and eases out the dark tale. You have the five chef's which I like to call 'The Spice Cabinet', because they bring their own unique flavor (personalities) that makes The Swan almost feel like home and in the end does become a family for those who work there. Then you have a sadistic head chef, Bob, who approves of barbaric disciplines to his staff. Whose somehow gotten himself tangled with a man that has created a world I can only describe as a culinary courtenay; where he plays out his fiendish kinky (as in abnormal and eccentric, not sexual) vengeance on those who do not do as they're are told. And one day the rest of the chef's at The Swan become advocates for whom he seeks to use for these activities.
Why he does this you may ask? Its not one anyone would expect so its worth the read to find out.
Overall, I liked the fact this book is male dominate because I rarely read books that are. So it was refreshing for me to read from a male's point of view and reading the experiences of his feelings, his past, and going along on this journey with him as he starts a life in a new city. But with a male dominate book also comes the cussing and foul language so if you can stomach that and the other events this book holds, I'd say "Chop chop" and get reading.
Chop chop is a dark comedy about the world of culinary kitchen--well five chef's lives in London. But the real world of culinary culture is not far off from this work of fiction. The comedy in this adventure filled book definitely lightens and eases out the dark tale. You have the five chef's which I like to call 'The Spice Cabinet', because they bring their own unique flavor (personalities) that makes The Swan almost feel like home and in the end does become a family for those who work there. Then you have a sadistic head chef, Bob, who approves of barbaric disciplines to his staff. Whose somehow gotten himself tangled with a man that has created a world I can only describe as a culinary courtenay; where he plays out his fiendish kinky (as in abnormal and eccentric, not sexual) vengeance on those who do not do as they're are told. And one day the rest of the chef's at The Swan become advocates for whom he seeks to use for these activities.
Why he does this you may ask? Its not one anyone would expect so its worth the read to find out.
Overall, I liked the fact this book is male dominate because I rarely read books that are. So it was refreshing for me to read from a male's point of view and reading the experiences of his feelings, his past, and going along on this journey with him as he starts a life in a new city. But with a male dominate book also comes the cussing and foul language so if you can stomach that and the other events this book holds, I'd say "Chop chop" and get reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2014
Anyone that has worked in a kitchen will be able to connect with Simon Wroe’s debut novel, Chop Chop. It opens with the normal hustle and bustle of a fast paced kitchen, complete with hazing, vulgarity, and a whole lot of interesting characters. Within a few pages you have a quick vision of what is to come: complete with a tyrant of a boss (Bob), an off the wall pervert of a cook (Ramilov), the racist of the group (Racist Dave – and its well warranted), and the seemingly uncaring dark eyed girl (Harmony). There are other more minor characters, but the bulk of the writing revolved around this group and the narrator (dubbed “Monocle” due to being an English major, as opposed to being kitchen trained).
The novel reads as it was written to be a memoir, with help along the way from the other chefs who are apparently making comments. It’s actually a brilliant way to set things up as it allows for a lot of flexibility with how the story is presented and eventually melds with Monocle’s allusions to the past. Further, it keeps you separated from some of the small mysteries that characters will point to from time to time that eventually get tied up in the end.
So we enter into a world where the narrator has his own cracked worldview, based on his family life that is unwound to the reader throughout the novel. He is hard up for some cash, since he doesn’t want to move back in with his parents and instead snags a job at The Swan – a restaurant in England. We watch as he gets his first taste of being in a kitchen and see the beginnings of adversary and love in the characters of Chef Bob (who it tyrannical and malicious at best) and the mysterious dark eyed girl. Some of the book walks through the day to day but keeps it from being too monotonous and gives the buildup to an eventual (and highly expected) run in with Bob.
But enter “The Fat Man”. This character is both mysterious and enormous. He demands perfection, exotic food, and a gluttonous amount of it. And it seems like he has dirt on just about everyone he encounters. If you thought Bob was the toughest individual to deal with, it pales in comparison since even Bob is shaken by this guy. We take each step forward with Monocle, witnessing the fall of The Swan, working directly for The Fat Man, and the events that topple everything to the ground.
Wroe does a masterful job with his characters, making them likable yet, harsh in their own ways. They have a lot of human quality to them, as you learn more and more of their backgrounds and what makes them tick. It’s certainly a dark comedy, and its rough at points (on the psyche / emotionally). But the book is truly authentic in all the right ways. Chop Chop is not for the faint of heart, mind you. Its gritty and vulgar, but honestly I don’t feel it goes overboard… or at least it doesn’t cross the lines too far.
The version of the book I read was an advance copy, acquired through a Goodreads “First Reads” giveaway.
A couple of quotables from the book:
-“Perhaps all memories are inherently sad, even happy ones, and should for that reason be avoided. Nostalgia is not so much a recollection of things past as the recollection of things you are no longer connected to.”
-“This is how the tree of blood grows. New limbs keep sprouting. What warrants a plaster in December needs a gurney in April.”
-‘“I can’t get involved with someone that beautiful,” he explained. “Couldn’t handle it. It would destroy me.”’
-“Sometimes you have to accept you can never do enough… Then you leave that thought behind, in the past, where it belongs. And you start from where you are.”
The novel reads as it was written to be a memoir, with help along the way from the other chefs who are apparently making comments. It’s actually a brilliant way to set things up as it allows for a lot of flexibility with how the story is presented and eventually melds with Monocle’s allusions to the past. Further, it keeps you separated from some of the small mysteries that characters will point to from time to time that eventually get tied up in the end.
So we enter into a world where the narrator has his own cracked worldview, based on his family life that is unwound to the reader throughout the novel. He is hard up for some cash, since he doesn’t want to move back in with his parents and instead snags a job at The Swan – a restaurant in England. We watch as he gets his first taste of being in a kitchen and see the beginnings of adversary and love in the characters of Chef Bob (who it tyrannical and malicious at best) and the mysterious dark eyed girl. Some of the book walks through the day to day but keeps it from being too monotonous and gives the buildup to an eventual (and highly expected) run in with Bob.
But enter “The Fat Man”. This character is both mysterious and enormous. He demands perfection, exotic food, and a gluttonous amount of it. And it seems like he has dirt on just about everyone he encounters. If you thought Bob was the toughest individual to deal with, it pales in comparison since even Bob is shaken by this guy. We take each step forward with Monocle, witnessing the fall of The Swan, working directly for The Fat Man, and the events that topple everything to the ground.
Wroe does a masterful job with his characters, making them likable yet, harsh in their own ways. They have a lot of human quality to them, as you learn more and more of their backgrounds and what makes them tick. It’s certainly a dark comedy, and its rough at points (on the psyche / emotionally). But the book is truly authentic in all the right ways. Chop Chop is not for the faint of heart, mind you. Its gritty and vulgar, but honestly I don’t feel it goes overboard… or at least it doesn’t cross the lines too far.
The version of the book I read was an advance copy, acquired through a Goodreads “First Reads” giveaway.
A couple of quotables from the book:
-“Perhaps all memories are inherently sad, even happy ones, and should for that reason be avoided. Nostalgia is not so much a recollection of things past as the recollection of things you are no longer connected to.”
-“This is how the tree of blood grows. New limbs keep sprouting. What warrants a plaster in December needs a gurney in April.”
-‘“I can’t get involved with someone that beautiful,” he explained. “Couldn’t handle it. It would destroy me.”’
-“Sometimes you have to accept you can never do enough… Then you leave that thought behind, in the past, where it belongs. And you start from where you are.”
December 31, 2024
Last book of the year, took me a while to get done but was actually so so good loved the writing about kitchens
April 18, 2014
Chop Chop by Simon Wroe is highly recommended for those who can appreciate a humorous (and realistic) look at the inside workings of the food industry.
Monocle, whose nickname is bestowed upon him based on his English Lit degree, is a recent graduate who is in desperate need of a job. He applies at The Swan, a London restaurant that is past its glory days, and is thrust into the world of professional chefs and the inner workings of a professional kitchen. Monocle learns to become a chef under very adverse conditions while also coming to terms with his past and his relationship with his father.
Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant kitchen (or a large-scale professional kitchen anywhere) is going to understand the cast of odd characters that populate this world and know that Wroe knows about which he writes.
I had to laugh about chopping up one onion and then reading:
“I don’t want one onion chopped,” he said. “What am I going to do with one f***ing onion? Do the whole bag.” The whole bag? It was the size of a turkey. I struggled to lift it. No one in their right mind needed so many onions. That day I realized I knew nothing about food or cooking. Also, more worryingly, nothing about people or communication. Months of fiction in that armchair, and years of studying it before that, had left me dealing with life at reading speed. Conversations passed me by while I was still formulating a response. People here dealt with one another so firmly, with no concerns for the nuances of situation.
Boy is that is the truth. You need to work fast and efficiently with little chance to finesse any situation. It is go-go-go until hours have passed and you don't have a clue where the time went.
There are so many great examples but I picked out a few more:
“Smoke?” He held out a cigarette. “You will,” he said when I refused. (Location 355)
"That was the first rule I learned at The Swan: Never challenge the person in charge. They could make your life more hellish than you could imagine. This, incidentally, is true of families as well as kitchens." (Location 436)
I also had to say "Isn't that the truth" when Monocle realizes that his hands are going to be permanently stained from his job, but even more so that it is your feet and legs that take the brunt of the abuse. After standing for hours there is no amount of rest that can make up for the pain.
But the truisms of working in a restaurant are just a part of the story. The cast of characters is an even more enticing component of this novel. They are weird and wonderful, including: "Racist Dave," chef Ramilov, Dibden the pastry chef, and a girl named Harmony, and the cruel head chef Bob. The story takes a dark turn and, although it is humorous, it is also gritty and not for the faint of heart.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.
Monocle, whose nickname is bestowed upon him based on his English Lit degree, is a recent graduate who is in desperate need of a job. He applies at The Swan, a London restaurant that is past its glory days, and is thrust into the world of professional chefs and the inner workings of a professional kitchen. Monocle learns to become a chef under very adverse conditions while also coming to terms with his past and his relationship with his father.
Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant kitchen (or a large-scale professional kitchen anywhere) is going to understand the cast of odd characters that populate this world and know that Wroe knows about which he writes.
I had to laugh about chopping up one onion and then reading:
“I don’t want one onion chopped,” he said. “What am I going to do with one f***ing onion? Do the whole bag.” The whole bag? It was the size of a turkey. I struggled to lift it. No one in their right mind needed so many onions. That day I realized I knew nothing about food or cooking. Also, more worryingly, nothing about people or communication. Months of fiction in that armchair, and years of studying it before that, had left me dealing with life at reading speed. Conversations passed me by while I was still formulating a response. People here dealt with one another so firmly, with no concerns for the nuances of situation.
Boy is that is the truth. You need to work fast and efficiently with little chance to finesse any situation. It is go-go-go until hours have passed and you don't have a clue where the time went.
There are so many great examples but I picked out a few more:
“Smoke?” He held out a cigarette. “You will,” he said when I refused. (Location 355)
"That was the first rule I learned at The Swan: Never challenge the person in charge. They could make your life more hellish than you could imagine. This, incidentally, is true of families as well as kitchens." (Location 436)
I also had to say "Isn't that the truth" when Monocle realizes that his hands are going to be permanently stained from his job, but even more so that it is your feet and legs that take the brunt of the abuse. After standing for hours there is no amount of rest that can make up for the pain.
But the truisms of working in a restaurant are just a part of the story. The cast of characters is an even more enticing component of this novel. They are weird and wonderful, including: "Racist Dave," chef Ramilov, Dibden the pastry chef, and a girl named Harmony, and the cruel head chef Bob. The story takes a dark turn and, although it is humorous, it is also gritty and not for the faint of heart.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.
December 31, 2014
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The thing about reading debut novels is that you never know what to expect. This abyss of the unknown is exacerbated when you have the privilege of reading a review copy. While not knowing can be disconcerting to some readers, I think it is precisely that which heightens the thrill of a book. In the case of Chop Chop, the element of surprise is crucial, so if my review comes off as vague, I apologize.
One of the main draws of Chop Chop for me was the protagonist's profile. He was in his early twenties, fresh out of university, trying to find his place in the world. Monocle, as I came to know him, had a strong voice that was uniquely his. After the first few pages alone, I already had a good sense of the kind of person he was. His expression contained so much snark, it stood out against his innocent demeanour. The crudeness of his co-workers in the kitchen offered an unlikely juxtaposition between them and this graduate chasing literary greatness, thereby combining a myriad of world views.
Chop Chop portrayed the very real struggles of someone desperately holding on to make ends meet. Too proud to return to his parents, Monocle rather faced impossible tasks that were thrown his way than admit defeat. It was the witty narration that hooked me, so that I even read portions of the book that had me squirm uncomfortably. That is the nature of black humour. No matter how twisted a situation, the discomfort of indulging it anyway is lessened because the humour seemingly removes you from the warpedness of it all.
Simon Wroe definitely knows how to spin a tale. His characters in Chop Chop were vivid and colourful despite the dark and dreary circumstances they were in. Wroe masterfully captured the complexity of personalities, constantly smashing stereotypes. I particularly appreciated the presence of Harmony. She asserted herself wonderfully amidst the testosterone-filled kitchen, existing not for the sake of romance but as an essential fixture in and of herself.
Readers looking for New Adult books that aren't confined to romance might just find what they are looking for in Chop Chop. This books fills the gap well, and I can only hope to find more books that deal with the plights of twenty-somethings today.
This review is also available on dudettereads.com.
The thing about reading debut novels is that you never know what to expect. This abyss of the unknown is exacerbated when you have the privilege of reading a review copy. While not knowing can be disconcerting to some readers, I think it is precisely that which heightens the thrill of a book. In the case of Chop Chop, the element of surprise is crucial, so if my review comes off as vague, I apologize.
One of the main draws of Chop Chop for me was the protagonist's profile. He was in his early twenties, fresh out of university, trying to find his place in the world. Monocle, as I came to know him, had a strong voice that was uniquely his. After the first few pages alone, I already had a good sense of the kind of person he was. His expression contained so much snark, it stood out against his innocent demeanour. The crudeness of his co-workers in the kitchen offered an unlikely juxtaposition between them and this graduate chasing literary greatness, thereby combining a myriad of world views.
Chop Chop portrayed the very real struggles of someone desperately holding on to make ends meet. Too proud to return to his parents, Monocle rather faced impossible tasks that were thrown his way than admit defeat. It was the witty narration that hooked me, so that I even read portions of the book that had me squirm uncomfortably. That is the nature of black humour. No matter how twisted a situation, the discomfort of indulging it anyway is lessened because the humour seemingly removes you from the warpedness of it all.
Simon Wroe definitely knows how to spin a tale. His characters in Chop Chop were vivid and colourful despite the dark and dreary circumstances they were in. Wroe masterfully captured the complexity of personalities, constantly smashing stereotypes. I particularly appreciated the presence of Harmony. She asserted herself wonderfully amidst the testosterone-filled kitchen, existing not for the sake of romance but as an essential fixture in and of herself.
Readers looking for New Adult books that aren't confined to romance might just find what they are looking for in Chop Chop. This books fills the gap well, and I can only hope to find more books that deal with the plights of twenty-somethings today.
This review is also available on dudettereads.com.
July 14, 2014
First I would like to thank PenguinReaders for sending me this advance reading copy. I entered the giveaway because this book looked funny and like something I wouldn't usually read; I was right on both accounts, and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much!
Though I have never stepped foot inside a professional kitchen before, the dark satirical humour was certainly not lost on me. From the start of first chapter I felt as if I had been thrown into the frying pan of this testosterone-fuelled kitchen; burnt, blamed and bollocked along with our dear, unfortunate narrator. During some parts I found myself tensely gripping the book at the unforgiving and perilously stressful kitchen environment. The work felt so hard and so non-stop that just thinking of Racist Dave's overtime made me feel tired.
The narrator, nick-named 'Monocle' is a young university graduate who has moved to Camden Town to escape his family and his past - particularly his father. In desperate need of money, he applies to The Swan. He is soon thrown into a fast-paced brutal environment that no English degree could have prepared him for. (Throughout the book I somehow developed a very amusing hatred for Tod Brightman , who has probably never done anything wrong! How dare he be so young and successful.)
The head chef ( overlord ), Bob, is proof that a man really can be that cruel (unless of course his wife is in the kitchen). There is no question that he is innovative: he's never short of devising horrifying new ways to torture his staff with fridges, spoons, and lashings of caramel just for starters. It is not only Bob who has a loud and brash personality though; this book contains an array of outrageous and hilarious characters, two in particular that have left a lasting impression.
Dave is the highly skilled, highly racist Mancunian. He may have escaped from the North after getting in trouble with drug dealing, but he works tirelessly hard and from the very start it feels like the kitchen would fall apart without him. Ramilov is a man who in any other work environment would have been accused of every form of harassment several times, and no amount of hours spent locked in the walk-in fridge will change his mind (besides, it's where he sits and plots of overthrowing the Tyrant). At the heart of this book there is a sense of an unconventional family loyalty that binds these characters together in their culinary struggles.
And then of course there's the Fat Man...
Cigarettes, alcohol, burns, scars within scars, blood, never ending verbal abuse and not a sane one among them, welcome to The Swan!
Though I have never stepped foot inside a professional kitchen before, the dark satirical humour was certainly not lost on me. From the start of first chapter I felt as if I had been thrown into the frying pan of this testosterone-fuelled kitchen; burnt, blamed and bollocked along with our dear, unfortunate narrator. During some parts I found myself tensely gripping the book at the unforgiving and perilously stressful kitchen environment. The work felt so hard and so non-stop that just thinking of Racist Dave's overtime made me feel tired.
The narrator, nick-named 'Monocle' is a young university graduate who has moved to Camden Town to escape his family and his past - particularly his father. In desperate need of money, he applies to The Swan. He is soon thrown into a fast-paced brutal environment that no English degree could have prepared him for. (Throughout the book I somehow developed a very amusing hatred for Tod Brightman , who has probably never done anything wrong!
The head chef ( overlord ), Bob, is proof that a man really can be that cruel (unless of course his wife is in the kitchen). There is no question that he is innovative: he's never short of devising horrifying new ways to torture his staff with fridges, spoons, and lashings of caramel just for starters. It is not only Bob who has a loud and brash personality though; this book contains an array of outrageous and hilarious characters, two in particular that have left a lasting impression.
Dave is the highly skilled, highly racist Mancunian. He may have escaped from the North after getting in trouble with drug dealing, but he works tirelessly hard and from the very start it feels like the kitchen would fall apart without him. Ramilov is a man who in any other work environment would have been accused of every form of harassment several times, and no amount of hours spent locked in the walk-in fridge will change his mind (besides, it's where he sits and plots of overthrowing the Tyrant). At the heart of this book there is a sense of an unconventional family loyalty that binds these characters together in their culinary struggles.
And then of course there's the Fat Man...
Cigarettes, alcohol, burns, scars within scars, blood, never ending verbal abuse and not a sane one among them, welcome to The Swan!
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