Praise for Wayne Macauley's The Cook:
"Irresistiblereminds us just how exciting it is to read a wonderful and original novel."Lloyd Jones
"A riot of a book! Gripping and subversive."Nick Cave
"Thought-provoking and brilliant."The Guardian
"A delicious satire of foodie culture, fast-paced, complex, and thoroughly well done."Large Hearted Boy
"An intense experience, like stepping into a steamy, industrial kitchen, with pots boiling over on every surface . . . consistently hilarious."Daily Telegraph
It is the middle of winter. Four middle-aged couples make the journey down the Great Ocean Road to a remote beach house. Without phones, internet, or television, they plan to sit around the fireplace for the weekend, telling stories that might explain the passage of their own lives.
Nothing goes to plan. As a storm rolls in, the implications of what they reveal to each other grow more shocking, and soon torrential rain cuts the party off from the outside world. Some stories aren't meant to be shared, and there are consequences that come with the truth.
An extraordinary and unexpected psychological thriller.
For fans of The Dinner by Herman Koch and The Slap by Christos Tsolkias, this is a great novel for book club discussions.
Wayne Macauley is the author of three highly acclaimed novels: Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe, Caravan Story, and, most recently, The Cook. He lives in Melbourne.
