Preorder Now!
〰️
Preorder Now! 〰️
Tastes Like Seeing God
Out on February 2, 2027 from Pamela Dorman Books/Viking
Also from VERVE (UK) and Ultimo Press (AUS/NZ)
In the days following the accidental death of her brother, an up and coming chef, Jessie Wong is adrift and angry: at Tommy, for dying; at her parents for their silence; and at the confines of her conservative Christian Chinese upbringing. Then Jessie finds a list in Tommy’s handwriting of the five meals that “taste like seeing God.” Was his phrasing blasphemy, or a nod to some hidden belief? Is fate offering her the chance to know her brother in a new way?
Breaking from her parents for the first time, Jessie decides to take up her brother’s challenge. With a one-way ticket, she embarks on a whirlwind pilgrimage to taste the five foods on the list. From the gritty bars of New York City to a three-Michelin-starred restaurant on a tiny German island in the North Sea, from the art world of Paris to the markets of Dakar, Jessie meets the people who loved and inspired her brother, getting to know the sibling she lost and the life he’d built. As Jessie realizes how much more of the world is out there, a future she’d never dared to envision for herself is now within her grasp.
Flavored with illegal French delicacies and famed Senegalese dishes, Tastes Like Seeing God explores the transcendent power of food, life’s sorrows, and its sublime joys with poignancy and surprising humor.
Advance Praise for Tastes Like Seeing God
Selected by the American Booksellers’ Association as an Indies Introduce Winter /Spring 2027 Pick!
“A canon-expanding odyssey of place, taste, and the infinite space a heart can hold. . . . Tam’s prose is epic and irreverent; Tastes Like Seeing God is a delight.”
—Bryan Washington, National Book Award finalist and author of Palaver and Memorial
“A decadent, heartfelt, and bittersweet exploration of grief, self-determination, and family. This novel had me craving my favorite dishes while longing to call my loved ones. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. . . . A veritable feast for all senses.”
—Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country
“Tastes Like Seeing God is a surprising, pleasurable, perfectly written odyssey of discovery. A stunning debut.”
— Crystal Hana Kim, author of The Stone Home and If You Leave Me
“Tastes Like Seeing God is a beautiful tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant, in prose. Nina Michiko Tam’s writing is precise, elegant, and sensuous. She carries you through Jessie’s first tastes of freedom, and the pain of her loss, with acuity and deep care. A sumptuous debut that made me hungry for life (and for tomato egg).”
—Emma Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
“A novel that breaks the heart then lovingly puts it back together again, Nina Michiko Tam’s Tastes Like Seeing God is glorious. A masterful paean to food and the worlds of memory it holds for those who make it and those who eat it. A book has not made me feel as sad, happy and hungry as this one has in a very long time.”
— Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up to You and Flux
“Tastes Like Seeing God is a masterful debut. Nina Michiko Tam’s deft, confident prose brings the food industry to life, taking you from each delectable mouthful to the pain behind the curtain.”
—Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi