Synopsis

A propulsive, heartfelt, and utterly original debut about a young chef trying to find her way in a world that’s not built for her to succeed—and the pro wrestler she idolizes who derails everything

Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only they get to take home leftover ingredients. Every night, Zarina whips up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eating, all while enjoying her second greatest professional wrestling. Namely, Zarina’s hero Sierra Myst—the massively successful, high-flying heel who’s built like a superhero and is every bit as confident and daring as one.

One night, Zarina posts online about one of Sierra Myst’s wins, and the most improbable thing Sierra reaches out to Zarina. Zarina is elated at the chance to become closer with her idol, and at first, their friendship is everything Zarina’s ever dreamed of. Zarina’s confidence grows, their world gets bigger, and opening their own restaurant doesn’t feel quite so impossible. But as the weeks fly by, Zarina starts to feel more like Sierra’s unpaid personal assistant and relationship counselor—and her desire to make Sierra happy eclipses their own goals and threatens everything they’ve worked for.

Deliciously unsettling and ultimately uplifting, Appetite is about the unique torture of being a twenty-something who’s torn between the person someone else wants you to be and the person you really are.

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Praise

“Peerless in its wily and humorous blend of back-of-house restaurant life, internet fan culture, and the extravagant pageantry of pro-wrestling, P. Paramita’s Appetite holds a mirror to the puzzling ways humans sometimes find themselves connecting with one another, on and offline. It’s as comforting as a warm hug—prepare to be captivated, and hungry.”—Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up to You

“P. Paramita’s Appetite is a love song to fusion, to kitchens, to wrestling, to mustard, to FaceTime across time zones, to risks on all scales . . . and most of all, it’s a love song to dreaming and friendship, and the ways care and creativity and hunger make everything else possible. This is a deeply modern story about the relationship between our digital and embodied lives, and also a tale that feels timeless, told from the heart, about heritage and reinvention and hope.”—Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams

“I flew through Appetite in one hungry sitting—chest racing, mouth watering, and seriously questioning if I should make women’s wrestling my new personality. Appetite examines cult-fandom in the era of questionable parasocial relationships and the compromises we make at the chance to meet our heroes. A delicious debut full of warmth, ambition, and what it means to peel back the mask of performance and take the stage anyway. Warning: have snacks on hand before reading. A lot of them.”—Haley Jakobson, author of Old Enough

Review

I always enjoy a book that is filled with food, especially if i can picture the dishes in my mind. This book does that well, and now I want to try Bangladeshi food, it sounds delicious.

The story follows a young chef who has bucked family expectations and is following her dreams. Her one enjoyment outside of cooking is watching professional wrestling. I have never gotten into wrestling, but can appreciate the story it tells, and the many fans who support this sport. However, Zarina lets it get a little out of hand and it affects her life. However, because she doesn’t have any friends in real life, getting caught up in a fan group for her favorite wrestler is a good and a bad thing. She has great intentions, but she lets it take over her life. But considering she is mid twenties, this isn’t too surprising. After all, I can understand the appeal of friends who appreciate this sport.

There were times when I liked Zarina, and other times when I could see her going off the cliff, and not surprised at the results of her actions. But she manages to turn her life around and rediscover what is important to her, cooking and food.

The story does wane in some places and I just wanted to get through those sections. Other sections seem a little unlikely, but who am I to judge what might or might not happen for this character.

It is a delightful story, and we give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

P. Paramita is a Bangladesh-born, New Haven-based writer, professor, and pop culture enthusiast. Paramita’s work has appeared in Teen Vogue, them, Color Bloq, Autostraddle, Southampton Review, and Dogwood Journal, where she was a finalist for the Dogwood Literary Award in Nonfiction.