The Cook
[9781921758690]

Macauley, Wayne. The Cook. Text Publishing: Melbourne, Australia 2011. 8vo lg SC 304pp

Power through service, says Head Chef. It's one of the first lessons taught at Cook School, where troubled youths learn to be master chefs by bowing to decadence and whim, by offering up a part of themselves on every plate.

It's a motto Zac takes to heart. A teenage boy with a difficult past, he throws himself into the world and work of haute cuisine. He has dreams of a future, of escaping the dead-end, no-hope lot of his fellow cooks. He wants to be the greatest chef the world has seen. He thinks he's taken his first steps when he becomes House Cook for a wealthy family. Never mind that the family may seem less than appreciative. Or refined. Or deserving. Power through service.

But as the facade crumbles and his promised future looks unlikely to eventuate, Zac the Cook is forced to reassess everything. Sweet turns sour and ends in bitter revenge.

Blackly funny and deliciously satirical, The Cook feeds our hunger to know what goes on in the kitchen, while skewering our culture of food worship.

Irresistible - The Cook reminds us just how exciting it is to read a wonderful and original novel
Lloyd Jones, author of Mister Pip and Hand Me Down World

On the surface this novel plays on our obsession with reality TV, fame and in particular cooking shows such as MasterChef. But as you read on it becomes apparent that questions of class, aspiration and success are at the heart of this complex, nuanced book. This is a black parable on contemporary society.
Tim Coronel, Australian Bookseller and Publisher

Blackly funny and deliciously satirical, this book skewers our culture of food worship while feeding our curiosity about kitchens
The Age Melbourne Magazine