25. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water For Chocolate. New York: Anchor Books, 1992.

Latin-American fiction is a whole other world. Magical realism is much more common, for one thing. The blending of realism with fantasy creates a dream-like feel without demanding the reader accept a fantasy setting. It's an interesting effect.

In Like Water for Chocolate the main character, Tita, takes on the role of a fairy tale heroine. Tita lives in a prosperous Mexican family consisting of her mother and her two older sisters. In this family, it is the duty of the youngest daughter to remain unmarried and care for the mother in her old age. The problem with this is that Tita is in love with a local boy named Pedro. When Pedro's suit for Tita's hand is rejected, Pedro instead marries her older sister, Rosaura, so at the least he can be close to Tita.

Despite the apparent soap opera chic, this book is not a melodrama. It is a moving love story told through the medium of food and the love of cooking.

I saw the movie adaptation first which is pretty well done all things considered and worth a viewing.