Two lost souls bond over gourmet feasts in Dinner with Edward, a memoir by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent (Gilded Lily: Lily Safra). The story begins when Isabel--a middle-aged newspaper reporter transplanted to New York as her marriage comes undone--meets a dear friend for dinner. The friend's 95-year-old mother has recently died, and she fears her father, Edward--a grief-stricken nonagenarian hospitalized after losing his soul mate of 69 years--is giving up on life. When Edward is finally released from the hospital, able to care for himself in his own apartment, Isabel's friend heads back to her home in Canada, and asks Isabel to check in on her father occasionally, touting Edward's culinary prowess. Isabel's loneliness in a new city--coupled with loyalty to her friend, her curiosity and the temptation of a good meal--ultimately propels her to show up at Edward's apartment on Roosevelt Island, armed with a bottle of wine.
One meal turns into a weekly, culinary rendezvous where meticulous and debonair Edward, a self-trained cook, whips up savory and sweet feasts, paired perfectly with cocktails. The meals range from the simple (Grilled Sirloin Steak with New Potatoes) to the elegant (Chicken Paillard, Sauce aux Champignons) to the sublime (Oysters Rockefeller). Desserts such as Tarte Citron, Popover Flambé and Apple and Pear Galette demonstrate the care and perfection that infuses each of Edward's gastronomic masterpieces. "Edward was neither a snob nor an insufferable foodie. He just liked to do things properly. He cared deeply about everything he created--whether it was the furniture in his living room or his writing."
Each chapter opens with a menu specific to the unexpected friendship that blooms between the dining companions over leisurely meals. Edward finds purpose and meaning in planning and preparing their weekly feasts. Over dinner, he conveys heartfelt details of his life, his creative pursuits and his enchanted marriage, ultimately becoming something of a teacher and protective father figure to Isabel. He offers wisdom and perspective as Isabel shares her adventures working for the New York Post, her crumbling marriage, difficulties in raising her daughter and her return to dating. The conversations always circle back to food, but the author admits, "When I asked him for a lesson in deboning a chicken... I knew that what Edward would end up imparting was far weightier than the butchery of poultry... he was forcing me to deconstruct my own life, to cut it back to the bone and examine the entrails, no matter how messy that proved to be."
Dinner with Edward emerges as a beautiful, passionate love story--wholly platonic--about two people whose lives are have undergone change, but who learn how to adapt and truly appreciate and reconnect with life again through the comfort of food, recipes and each other. Isabel Vincent's rich, perfectly paced narrative is served with as much wonder and gratitude as the deliciously conveyed indulgence of each satisfying, lingering meal. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
Shelf Talker: A middle-aged writer and a 93-year-old widower, both facing changes in life, become friends through the satiating comfort of food.