Book Review: The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd

Maya is half British, half Indian. Her mother was from Delhi, but circumstances landed her in Bangalore where she meets Maya’s British dad, the rest is flowers, chocolate and romance; or so Maya has been led to believe. In truth, much like the slow change from complete darkness to the beginnings of sunlight in the Arctic, Maya goes through a journey of shocks, recovered memories and self-discovery.

After moving to the Arctic with her boyfriend Ryan, Maya becomes discouraged with how difficult things are; the cold, the weather, the not fitting in. She isolates herself, is discouraged and finds herself constantly battling her anxiety spells. Eventually, she takes a chance at a job as a chef for a small business catering to people wanting to experience the rugged life of the Arctic. Her skills are appreciated by these people who have been eating out of cans.

Things are further shaken up when her dad informs her that he will be remarrying. That his new bride will be the friend of his deceased wife. A trip to Maya’s birthplace begin the memories she had repressed of the first 7 years of her life and bring more questions than answers. She knows her father is hiding something from her, but what else has happened that have kept her mother’s once closest friends so mute?

Returning to the Arctic brings new challenges as she is confronted by challenge after challenge. Bit by bit Maya must toughen up, in her own way, to meet the demands that are placed on her. Demands that are unavoidable.

In the midst of this she will begin a cooking club using the dishes her mother has painstakingly written and her own skills as a chef, in an attempt to survive and thrive. She will face her own fears and insecurities, polar bears and friends who come to depend on her… all as her memory begins to come back to her piece by piece.