A holistic approach to the art of cooking and love marks Esdaile’s latest heart-warmer (after No Trust
) and soul charmer. Deborah Lee Jackson is 25, half-black and half-Cherokee, recently divorced and newly arrived in Philly. Eager for something more than her depressing water department job, Deborah embarks on a “complete self-help overhaul” by taking courses at the University Arts Center near her apartment. She meets Jason Hastings while buying supplies for her naturopathic cooking class, unaware he’s also a substitute art teacher at the Center. Jason, who is black, asks Deborah to pose for him because he’s determined to immortalize her in oil. Their mutual attraction blossoms into something very passionate and deeply fulfilling, but thorny conflicts rooted in their individual family histories soon arise. Esdaile explores the challenges the couple must face with sparkling sensitivity, interweaving spiritual issues with earthy, practical ones. (June)
