Taste

by Daisy Rockwell

Fiction. Daniel is a twenty-first century connoisseur with distinctive and often anachronistic tastes—aesthetic, culinary, and even mind-altering. When Daniel sets out to seek answers about his past in long-sealed documents, he makes a startling discovery that leads him on a cross-country quest. In the course of his travels, he becomes preoccupied with Antoinette, an enigmatic archivist who may hold the key to his search. When he discovers she may be involved with his closest friend, Roger, he comes to distrust them both. His quest becomes a dangerous obsession that drives him to the brink of madness. Rockwell's prose evokes the dark humor of Edgar Allan Poe and the uneasy aristocrats of Edith Wharton in this new novel of aesthetic obsession.

"With huge amounts of imagination and flair, Daisy Rockwell has written a wonderfully funny but ultimately chilling parable about the wages of connoisseurship. I thrilled to it."—Henry Alford

209 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2014

Reviews

[William Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not at all what I expected when I began reading the story. The book is an autographed copy I found in the bargain section of my local bookstore while hunting for things to fill my 2020 challenge.

The story is a slow burn and you realize an important aspect of Daniel - he is uniquely obsessed with a fruit table. Given the outcome and the imagery expressed in Daniel's plight to retrieve the table, I found the last 30 pages gripping as I tried to figure out Daniel's intentions. I suppose, in retrospect, the outcome is something you might expect.

There is a rather comical video portrayal of the the entire story here: http://www.daisyrockwell.com/writing/ but if you watch it, you may know too much.

[Afia Aslam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderfully different book, with humour where you'd least expect it. Makes you want to be inside Rockwell's head and see more of where this marvellous weirdness came from!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shades of Catcher in the Rye. The characters will remind you of people you know, especially if you know a lot of genteel eccentrics. I can't wait to read more from this writer.