Published in Incorporating Writing, Issue 4 Vol 3, July 2007

Food Of Love

Anthony Capella

Time Warner Paperbacks; New Ed edition, 2005
6.99
ISBN 0751535699

Food of Love by Anthony Capella provides the reader with a raw taste of Italy. This novel celebrates Italian food as a way of life, with a culture that revolves around eating to show social status, style and knowledge. Capella travels extensively in Italy and this is evident through his writing - Food of Love is a clear and accessible reference which provides those who have not travelled to the country with an insightful and colourful illustration. This novel is also a warm and affectionate reminiscence for those who have experienced the country of Capella's subject.

This writing style enables the contrasts within the novel. References to food and to Italy are written with an enthralling, deeply authentic style with a use of Italian phrases, recipes and food based metaphors. This honest clarity is contrasted with Capella's characters where his writing is occasionally clumsy, plodding and unremarkable. In some ways this is very effective as is emphasises the main character, an American exchange student called Laura, in contrast to her new found environment. Laura's story unfolds as Tommaso enlists the help of his friend Bruno's culinary skills in order to win her heart.

As Laura is besotted with the food, and Tommaso, Bruno falls in love with her (completing the triangle), as his cooking communicates his passion. Laura's character becomes the most endearing - perhaps as she is from a culture more similar to ours or perhaps because Capella is aware of a predominantly female readership. This character is then maintained through the reader's empathy for her, caused by the passionate descriptions of the enchanting food. It is these emotive elements that make the reader more receptive to the novel as a whole.

The characters seem secondary in Capella's style to the food; a tool to illustrate his culinary descriptions. The reader is placed as an equal among the characters through the social nature of eating within the plot, the subjectivity of food and writing in the 3rd person. This is the success of the book - the reader is included in the action and seduced, echoing the characters.