‘Hunger’ leaves readers wanting seconds

Courtney HollandsIn the tradition of such recent films as “Chocolat” and “Like Water for Chocolate,” “Hunger” by Jane Ward, portrays food as a natural aphrodisiac. But whereas the films attribute the power of chocolate to a special, love-inducing ingredient, “Hunger” shows how the basic elements of food and emotion fulfill a deeper hunger — not just for love, but for life as well.

Anna Rossi, a young mother and a passionate individual, is unhappy in her marriage. She feels stifled by her workaholic husband. Anna stops eating and channels her energy into meticulously preparing food — cooking is her true love — for Michael; however, he constantly falls asleep during dinner, their only time together. In her confusion and frustration, Anna recalls her happy college years with Michael. These scraps of memory offer clues to the reader about their marriage and what possibly could have gone astray.

Anna decides the only way to reconcile their relationship is to communicate with each other. She equates salvation with a second honeymoon in New Hampshire. As Anna and Michael leave their six-year-old daughter, Sarah, with Anna’s mother, they head from Chicago to the peaceful, serene New England woods. The natural silence, devoid of cell phones, city streets and business meetings, should prompt communication between the once-happy couple, but it only makes Anna and Michael more aware of the painful rift between them. They have nothing left to say.

Separation is the only option; not a necessarily easy option due to Anna’s strictly Catholic mother. Nevertheless, Michael heads back to Chicago and Anna remains in New Hampshire with Sarah. Anna, however, doubts her decision because of how empty she feels. Michael was her first kiss, her stability, her everything. Her underfed and undernourished body and unfurnished apartment manifest her inner vulnerability. She turns back to her calling — food — by securing a chef job at her friend Ben’s restaurant. She pours herself into her work and her daughter.

James is the sous-chef at the restaurant. He shows her the ropes, and before long, she finds herself aching for his talent, confidence and rugged exterior. She is hesitant to love at first — Michael still sends letters to Sarah and Anna, narrating his love for them and for family — but as she gives herself to James, she allows herself to feel happiness again. He nourishes her, body and soul, until she begins to gain weight and courage. Anna’s kitchen fills with beautiful cooking smells, her heart with love and her apartment with furniture.

Just as Anna begins to lay roots, her mother has a mild stroke that lands her in intensive care. All aspects of Anna’s past, present and future converge at her mother’s Massachusetts home, as both Michael and James rush to be at her side. She is thrown into the familiar mix of realities and time and only survives the raging current with her newfound confidence.

In addition, Anna’s mother begins to talk about her past and her father. From her mother, she learns sordid details about her birth and her parents’ relationship, and it frightens as well as strengthens her.

Anna must find balance. She has to silence the demons of her past to accept her future. The choices she eventually makes reflect a new woman whose hunger for life, love and food have been fulfilled.

“Hunger” is a decent first effort from newcomer Jane Ward. Her language is mature and sensual. The beauty in her words comes from the extreme feeling behind them. Ward deliberately plays upon the senses of the reader to create scenes and moods. She uses plentiful, vivid adjectives to weave her story. However, at times, the adjectives and description crowd, rush and bury her true meaning. The jumbled prose could easily be cleaned and strengthened with the omission of several adjectives and fancy sentence constructions.

There are also some content problems. The story line is often predictable, especially in terms of the family interaction. The plot lacks depth due to Ward’s attempts to tell two stories that ultimately do not compliment each other — the story of Anna and Michael and the story of Anna and her parents. Ward develops the second storyline, that of Anna and her parents, too much to be considered a minor storyline and not enough to parallel the dominant storyline. Occasionally, the reader will sense two stories are happening at the same time, with hardly any meaningful interaction.

Ward uses a myriad of food references to shape and color her work. The idea of food is central to the main characters and they often discuss it with dramatic flair and importance. It is obvious a great deal of research and passion went into the food writing, but to the unseasoned reader, many excerpts will read like a Greek cookbook.

“Hunger” is a well-planned, carefully written debut novel from an author who has extensive potential. Cleaner writing and deeper subject matter will certainly take Ward to new heights.