Description

An evening of perfect preparation. A night of uninvited chaos.

In her stylish apartment, the hostess is hard at work. She folds linen napkins, arranges wildflowers and cues up algorithmically chosen soft jazz to project an effortless cool.

Every detail is chosen with care, which makes it all the more galling when her guests arrive late and already drunk. As small talk becomes slurred confessions and lost inhibitions, the hostess struggles to maintain control over an evening far beyond her wildest imaginings.

The breakout hit about a dinner party that goes deliciously wrong:

‘Irresistible. . . astute observations on the absurd theatre of aspirational living in the age of social media’ New Statesman

‘Brilliantly clever’ Irish Times

‘A moreish story. . . akin to Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection‘ Guardian

‘Clever, amusing. . . to be consuming in one sitting’ Daily Mail

‘Deliciously unsettling and thoroughly enjoyable’ Aysegul Savas, author of The Anthropologists

‘As pleasurable as a case of Cremant’ Claire Powell, author of At the Table

‘Beautiful writing’ Stylist

‘For anyone who enjoys food, this is a must read! ?????’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘Sharp, darkly funny. . . it kept me fully engaged from start to finish ?????’ Goodreads Reviewer

Publisher Review

‘An entertaining, finely observed chamber play and a great culinary reading pleasure’ – Nora von Westphalen

‘Astutely analyses social interaction and presents it in a humorous and ironic way’ – Laura Sodano

‘Anyone who can pull off such a chilli-hot social farce not only has dramatic skills, a feel for psychology and interpersonal staging practices, but also deserves the title of being considered the German-speaking Yasmina Reza’ – Bjorn Hayer

‘With her well-seasoned, original menu Teresa Praauer proves herself to be an amusingly sophisticated hostess and stimulating companion at this literary dinner’ – Irene Prugger

‘Praauer has succeeded in creating a highly subtle, apt study of the milieu, an elegantly composed text spiced with clever irony’ – Christian Schacherreiter