Wrestling and cooking? An unlikely combination but P. Paramita makes it work. Appetite is a story about hunger, about ambition, and drive. About connection, parasocial relationships, and friendship. Keep reading this book review of Appetite for my full thoughts.
Summary
Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only they get to take home leftover ingredients. Every night, Zarina whips up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eating, all while enjoying her second greatest professional wrestling. Namely, Zarina’s hero Sierra Myst—the massively successful, high-flying heel who’s built like a superhero and is every bit as confident and daring as one.
One night, Zarina posts online about one of Sierra Myst’s wins, and the most improbable thing Sierra reaches out to Zarina. Zarina is elated at the chance to become closer with her idol, and at first, their friendship is everything Zarina’s ever dreamed of. Zarina’s confidence grows, their world gets bigger, and opening their own restaurant doesn’t feel quite so impossible. But as the weeks fly by, Zarina starts to feel more like Sierra’s unpaid personal assistant and relationship counselor—and her desire to make Sierra happy eclipses their own goals and threatens everything they’ve worked for.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I immediately loved the food references in Appetite. The way food is used to evoke memories, create bridges, and bring people together. The food in Appetite is gorgeous, mouth watering, and inspiring all at once. At the same time, Appetite is about parasocial relationships, friendships that can form – but can also let us down – and what we would do if we’re hungry enough. I read Appetite in a few days because I was drawn to Zarina and her dreams. Her new relationships which end up making her question her goals and the friendships she makes on the way.
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As someone who’s spent a lot of time on the internet making friends, I found this line between what we would do for her heroes and the blurry lines in these friendships super intriguing. Appetite examines the sometimes danger of looking up to someone, of power differentials, and the lines between real and unreal. Appetite is multi-faceted about the hunger in our lives. And what we will do to sate that desire in our heart. Find Appetite on Goodreads, Storygraph, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.