Review: "Island Apart" by Steven Raichlen

Food can be some pretty powerful stuff. We know it can help heal our bodies from injury and illness. Can it also heal relationships?

Claire Doheny is a New York book editor recovering from a serious illness. To help with her recovery, she agrees to house-sit a sprawling estate on Chappaquiddick Island, the famous vacation playground for the New England wealthy. Bustling during the months of July and August, the island is a sleepy fishing village the rest of the year.

Hoping to spend her time regaining her strength and finishing her work on a biography of acclaimed psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich, the last thing Claire expects is to fall in love with a mysterious man the local islanders call The Hermit.

The two come from very different worlds but they share in common a passionate love for cooking. But The Hermit’s mysterious past contains a dark secret that threatens to break their relationship.

Author Steven Raichlen is known for his bestselling books on barbecue: “Planet Barbecue” and “How to Grill.” With his fiction debut he transports his love for food to the written page. While you won’t find any recipes (though you can get them at http://www.stevenraichlen.com/), Raichlen’s descriptions of food are rich and enticing and add to a story of love, loss and redemption in a delectable way.

The characters are well written and likeable, which is important in any story. They’re not overly complex but they’re not two-dimensional cookie-cutter types, either, which is always a joy. It’s easy to root for them and you will find yourself hoping they will see through their problems to the end.