I love food, I love detective fiction, and I love sentimental things – no wonder I also love The Kamogawa Food Detectives. In this Japanese novel (translated by Jesse Kirkwood) you get the story of an old chef who helps people to identify food that they had many years previously. They’ll paint a vivid picture for him and describe the context in which they had the long-lost meal – usually attached to some distant, cherished memory.
One aspect of it that I loved was it’s absolutely delicious descriptions of lots of meals. Even as a vegetarian I was able to enjoy and appreciate every single one of the descriptions. Perhaps it was because I listened to this as an audiobook at times when I was either eagerly anticipating my lunch break, or my dinner after work, but honestly I think I’d feel hungry at any time that I might have read this book. It feels very obvious to me that it was written by somebody who appreciates a good meal.
Besides this, I also felt quite invested in the stories of each of the customers who comes in. I don’t know if this is a widespread feeling or not, but I associate different foods with different memories all the time, and by combining these two senses, it helped to make me feel more strongly rooted in the memories and experiences of each person. Each one was usually connected to a lost love, or to a lost aspect of their childhood – and I’m sure we have such memories as these.
Having said that, if you take a step back from the narrative for a moment – it is kind of funny to think that all these people have unsolved emotional anguish in their past and that they’re only able to move on from when they eat a meal at this food detective place ten or twenty years later. It is a bit silly when you think of it like that, but not enough that it takes anything from the experience for me.
Some readers may also be disappointed that there isn’t really an over-arching storyline. You just get to spend some time with these characters and get to see a few of the cases they get involved with. There are a few little glimpses about their history and backstory, but it’s not really about the main characters (in the same way that Sherlock Holmes stories aren’t really about Sherlock Holmes). It feels a little closer to a short story collection than a novel, even though it is very much still a novel.
It definitely fits the definition of a “cosy read” and I am happy to have read it. It was a very wholesome experience – and one that is unashamedly so. During difficult times, I think it’s exactly the kind of story we need more of, and I strongly recommend giving it a read.
Score: 8.3/10
