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2 February 2027
Publication Date: 2 February 2027
Format: Paperback
Extent: 288 pp
Our Price: 11.99
ISBN: 9780857307101
DIGITAL
Publication Date:26 October 2026
Format: ebook(ePub)
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TASTES LIKE SEEING GOD
A poignant story of loss and coming of age that will make you hungry - for food, for life, for forging your own path.
In the days following the accidental death of her brother, Jessie Wong is adrift and angry: at Tommy, an up-and-coming chef, 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 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 embarks on a whirlwind pilgrimage to taste the five foods on the list. In the gritty bars of New York City, the lively markets of Dakar, the art world of Paris and even a three-Michelin-starred restaurant on a tiny German island, Jessie meets the people who loved and inspired her brother. As Jessie gets to know the sibling she lost and realises how much more of the world is out there, a future she'd never dared to envision for herself is now within her grasp.
Flavoured 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 humour. It's perfect for fans of Alison Espach's The Wedding People and Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart, as well as The Bear and anyone who loves the late Anthony Bourdain's culinary travel shows.
READER REVIEWS FOR TASTES LIKE SEEING GOD
PRESS REVIEWS FOR Tastes Like Seeing God
'
A canon-expanding odyssey of place, taste and the infinite space a heart can hold. With virtuosity and warmth, Tam's prose explores blood-ties, love lines and grace through Jessie's quest to understand herself and the shifting world around her. Tam's prose is epic and irreverent; Tastes Like Seeing God is a delight'
- Bryan Washington, National Book Award finalist for Palaver
'
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
'
A meditation on grief, family, and the healing power of food, 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. This book will make you cry and crave a delicious meal at the same time
'
- Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi
'
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. Nina Michiko Tam is a new talent to watch, and in her debut, she has gifted us a veritable feast for all senses'
- Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country
'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
'Nina Michiko Tam has written a sumptuous novel that alights all the senses. Suffused with grief, love, memory and the singular pleasure of a divine meal, 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