Pomegranate Soup

Marsha Mehran, Fourth Estate, 2005, rrp $26.95,
www.harpercollins.com

Subtitled ‘a novel of three sisters, two countries, and the language of food’ this deceptively simple book addresses so many issues with a light hand. Pain and loss, racism, family issues, jealousy – they’re all here mixed in among the pomegranates and cumin.

When Iranian refugee sisters open a cafe in a small Irish town, the spicy fragrance of their cooking captures people’s hearts and imaginations. Lives are changed, including those of the sisters.

Delicious recipes follow each chapter and there is just enough talk of food and cookery in the story to keep cooks happy, and there is sufficient simple and beautiful writing to please those who want to enjoy a good story.