Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen Book

Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen, the complex first novel by Globe and Mail drama critic Kate Taylor, threads together three related stories. In one, Marie, a simultaneous translator from Montreal, escapes to Paris after a failed love affair, where she begins translating the diary of Marcel Proust's Jewish mother. The second thread consists of the fictional diary entries themselves, which are excellent evocations of the period, with Mme Proust in a constant state of anguish over the health of Marcel, her extravagant invalid son. The third element is the story of Sarah Bensimon, a 12-year-old girl sent by her Jewish family from Paris to Toronto for safekeeping during the Second World War. The novel offers moments of fine writing and a fascinating view into the intimate world of Proust through his doting mother's eyes, as well as the wider world of turn-of-the-century Paris, including commentary on the Dreyfus affair and its destabilising affect on the Proust family. However, the connection to the third element of the story is far too weak to justify its inclusion. Marie, it turns out, has fallen in love with Max, Sarah's son, who somewhat resembles Marcel Proust in looks and sensitivity. Only in the final 20 pages does the relationship between Max and Marie come alive, even as Marie realises it is truly over: "I have found the cure for heartbreak. It is literature. But then I have not discovered anything that the son of Dr Proust did not know a century ago." Madame Proust has the makings of a marvellous novel. As it stands, though, Taylor's attempt to bring together her divergent storylines is as ambitious as her character Sarah's project of cooking classical French cuisine according to Jewish dietary restrictions, but less successful. --Mark Frutkin, Amazon.caRead More