If you love Call Me by Your Name (the movie or the book), Anthony Bourdain, or the “eat” portion of Eat Pray Love (again, the movie or the book), then prepare to add a new favorite to the list: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.
McQuiston’s latest novel follows two ex-lovers who accidentally reunite on a summer tour of Europe’s best food and wine. In an attempt to prove how over each other they are, Kit and Theo enact a very mature “who can sleep with the most people” competition. Delightfully slutty escapades ensue.
Kit is a patisserie chef, and Theo is a sommelier in training – both are using the trip to gain inspiration for their foodie pursuits. In writing this, McQuiston has credited Bourdain as inspiration. Fans of his shows and books will recognize immediately the attention to detail in describing tastes, smells, and the unique characters that crop up during travel.
With a novel so concerned with the act of self-discovery through pleasure and eating, it’s no wonder that elements of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir crop up, too. Her descriptions of pasta indulgences and the joy of meals shared with new friends are mirrored in Kit and Theo’s adventures. Like her journey, theirs isn’t always a holiday.
Kit and Theo’s breakup is still a sore point. The push and pull of their relationship and aching descriptions of longing recall elements of Call Me by Your Name. That, and the fact of their queerness. As the author of the NYT bestseller Red, White, and Royal Blue, McQuiston has already established themself as a queer romance expert, but The Pairing takes things further. The book acts as a kind of manifesto on seeking pleasure and going beyond your comfort zone. Again, the Anthony Bourdain and Elizabeth Gilbert of it all.
As far as The Pairing is concerned, Euro summer is never over.
“Love took root in me before I learned its name, and I've sat in its shade for so long now without eating its fruit. This feels as if I've finally taken a piece into my hands and split it open. It's so sweet inside. Sour too, slightly underripe — but so, so sweet.”
― Casey McQuiston, The Pairing
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