PLOT: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 4.5/5
WRITING: 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT: 4.5/5
GENRE & THEME: Contemporary Fiction, Food, Memory, Bengali Food, Nostalgia
“I gently pick up the letter and run my fingers around its edges. I then hold it close to my nose and sniff lightly. It smells of coffee and stale flowers.”
– Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta, Those Delicious Letters
There is something about Indian books that celebrate our food, culture, and traditions. I am often enchanted by stories that weave food into fiction—for what better way to savour a culture, to get a glimpse (or should I say a taste) of it, than by devouring a book that celebrates it?
And so, I landed upon Those Delicious Letters—a book that combines fine, new-age, sassy writing with indulgent Bengali food to bring us a delectable tale of love, memory, belonging, and a living, breathing food culture.
Let’s talk about the story
Shubha is a forty-year-old woman, happily married on the surface, whose life revolves around her high-flying, always-busy husband Sameer, her two children, and a partnership at a small publishing firm that has been struggling for years. After eighteen years of marriage, though, her personal life feels just as bleak as her stagnant career.
But everything changes after her fortieth birthday, when she suddenly begins receiving long, warm, and affectionate letters from a lady in Calcutta who claims to be her grandmother. These letters are no ordinary ones—they arrive in sync with the traditional Bengali calendar and come with recipes tied to the season’s freshest produce. Alongside the recipes are stories from the grandmother’s own life—rich with nostalgia and love—that stir memories of Shubha’s mother and her unforgettable Bengali cooking.
Inspired, Shubha begins trying out the recipes in her Americanized kitchen, and soon, the dishes become a big hit with everyone around her. The letters breathe fresh life into her, reminding her not just of her roots but also sparking new hope—her career, which once felt stagnant, suddenly shows promise and possibility.
And yet, the mystery of this grandmother remains. Who is she really? As Shubha continues to navigate her shaky, lacklustre marriage and her newly promising professional life, she realizes she must first uncover the truth about the mysterious woman behind those delicious letters.
My review
Those Delicious Letters is simply beautiful. Honestly, what’s not to love? The characters feel real, their struggles too. The letters carry this old-world, vintage charm, and the idea of something so heartfelt suddenly entering our busy, sterilized modern lives fills you with instant warmth and nostalgia. The writing is tender and full of emotion, yet sassy and sharp when it needs to be. And this idea of two completely different worlds colliding—it’s nothing short of brilliant.
The mystery of the letters—who this grandmother really is—adds even more intrigue. I especially loved the thought of Shubha walking through the dusty, sepia-tinted lanes of Calcutta, chasing answers about a woman who clearly doesn’t want to be found. And when Shubha finally begins to uncover the truth, you realize just how big a task lies ahead of her.
Now, I’ll admit—I don’t know much about Bengali food. But even I couldn’t resist the recipes sprinkled throughout the story; they felt like they were bursting with flavours, seeping right out of the pages. The book beautifully captures the power of culture and tradition, showing how food is never just food. Even in today’s world of standardized, modern meals, traditional recipes have the magic to transport you to another place, another season, another moment in time. They carry memories, and they keep them alive.
If food novels are your thing, if you love Indian stories soaked in culture and tradition, or if you’re simply looking for something unique and heartwarming, Those Delicious Letters needs to be on your TBR. And here’s the best part—it’s soon to be adapted into a major web series!
Can’t wait to dive in? Grab your copy of Those Delicious Letters using the link below.
