Description

New in paperback: the conversation-starting, engrossing novel about power and consent in the pressure cooker of a high-end restaurant

When Hannah learns that famed chef Daniel Costello is facing accusations of sexual assault, she’s thrown back to the summer she spent waitressing at his high-end Dublin restaurant – the plush splendour of the dining rooms, the wild parties after service, the sizzling tension of the kitchens. But Hannah also remembers how the attention from Daniel soon morphed from kindness into something darker.

Now the restaurant is shuttered and Daniel is faced with the reality of a courtroom. His wife Julie is hiding from paparazzi lenses behind the bedroom curtains. Surrounded by the wreckage of the past, Daniel, Julie and Hannah must reconsider what happened at the restaurant. Their three different voices reveal a story of power and complicity, the lies we tell and the courage it takes to face the truth.

Publisher Review

‘A book guaranteed to get people talking… a big topic requiring care, and Gilmartin tackles it with aplomb… both chewy and meaty fare, rare and well done’ – John Self

‘The exhausting and exhilarating life of a high-end restaurant is beautifully recreated in this masterful novel . . . deeply satisfying . . . A writer correctly confident in her recipe’ – Emma Healey

‘This coolly furious dissection of sexual assault and its aftermath is as carefully constructed as anything served up in the Michelin-starred restaurant run by the chef whose alleged behaviour sets the novel in motion… compelling’ – Marie Claire

‘Addictive… a #MeToo story of power imbalances and blurred boundaries which will resonate with many’ – Red Magazine

‘A sharp, compelling drama’ – Good Housekeeping