The Hundred-Foot Journey

Slumdog Millionaire meets Ratatouille (The New York Times Book Review) in this delicious fairytale-like read (NPR) about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.

Born above his grandfathers modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan Haji first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumire, a small village in the French Alps.

The boisterous Haji family takes Lumire by storm. They open an inexpensive Indian restaurant opposite an esteemed French relaisthat of the famous chef Madame Malloryand infuse the sleepy town with the spices of India, transforming the lives of its eccentric villagers and infuriating their celebrated neighbor. Only after Madame Mallory wages culinary war with the immigrant family, does she finally agree to mentor young Hassan, leading him to Paris, the launch of his own restaurant, and a slew of new adventures.

The Hundred-Foot Journey is about how the hundred-foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires. A testament to the inevitability of destiny, this is a fable for the agescharming, endearing, and compulsively readable.