Book Report

I just finished reading the first novel by the sister of a good friend, and posted the following review to Amazon tonight:


As a general rule, I do not read a lot of fiction, having been burned by one too many obscure assignments in English class years ago. However, Lizz Lund's first novel, set in the uber-polite Amish country of Lancaster, PA, made for a very approachable and easily enjoyed story, in line with its Twain-esque disclaimer about being just a fun story with no moral for English majors to debate endlessly.

Lund describes a very full week in the life of Mina Kitchen, an expatriate New Joisey goil who finds herself caught in multiple layers of intrigue. The, um, fragrant arsons at the locations of her employer's main customers, her neighbor in a witness protection program, her errant love life, and myriad other adventures combine to make a memorable story. I do appreciate a good pun and a writer who honors that great Native American chieftain, Little Running Gag, and Lund does not disappoint: between her kitchen puns (Mina's employer is an acronym spelling EEJIT) and the recurring punchlines (look for "Bless you"), my internal snare drum was making frequent rimshots.

At 373 pages, it's a long book to read in a single sitting, yet readers might enjoy not leaving a lot of time between sittings: not only because the story reads engagingly, but also because the numerous characters that flit in and out of Mina's life in a week need a more focused mind than mine to keep straight (sorry, another pun for Lund's character, "K"). "Kitchen Addiction" makes for a very full stew of characters, plots, and even settings: a subplot at the end about a supper club in New York City felt almost superfluous to the rest of the story. However, the mix of flavors--from Vito to the Ratties, from Aunt Muriel to How-wierd (Mina's boss)--blends well into a picture of a very full life.

Lund, whose background includes acting and directing in stage productions, takes advantage of her new medium's ability to more fully display the internal dialogues and thoughts of her main character. Her writing flows naturally; one can imagine Lund sitting in her townhouse living room, with a Mug-o-Merlot and an odd neighbor at the door, just telling this as a story to a friend dropping by. Lund is already working on her second novel, a sequel to "Kitchen Addiction," and doubtless readers will not be content with merely a second helping but will look for thirds as well.