The Feasting Virgin was a true delight. Georgia Kolias has written a little masterpiece. I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours and have spent the last few days letting the story sink in.
Here’s the plot –
Xeni is a thirty-eight-year old Greek virgin who has been praying for God to gift her with a baby; a virgin birth. She spends most of her days cooking delectable Greek meals from scratch and praying, that is until she meets a young American woman at the grocery store who is about to put limp spinach in her cart. Calli is in a little too deep. After a one night stand led to pregnancy, she is left trying to make a family unit for her son, starting with Greek cooking. The baby’s father, Gus, is Greek and he misses aspects of his culture, above all, the food, or his mother. Calli sets out to make a traditional Greek meal beyond her capability, that is, until Xeni steps in. Xeni starts giving Calli cooking lessons and the two women become close, closer than what God would approve of, Xeni thinks. Gus’s mother comes to visit and all is upended after she decides that Xeni is a more suitable wife for Gus than Calli. Family drama has a tendency to suck in even innocent bystanders, but Xeni refocuses on her dream: a virgin birth. There’s a certain type of magic in food, though, and when two hearts belong together that magic has a way of pulling through.
The writing in this book was so descriptive. I’m not just talking about the food, which I’ll get to. The characters were given such small, striking details, that they were easy to visualize, at times I felt like I could associate scents with them. They were each so real. I think it also helped that the narrative lent itself to each one of them. With the exception of Xeni, who shares her story via first person in sporadic chapters, the rest of the story is told through third person narration rotating irregularly between Calli and Gus (and Xeni). Even Gus’ mother gets her own section to resonate empathy (which I found a little humorous). I think it’s hard to find lesbian fiction where other characters, aside from the two main women, get a character arc. I would say that that was achieved here. Gus wasn’t my favorite person, but he had actual substance to him. As opposed to his character just being an obstacle for Xeni and Calli, he had his own inner obstacles to overcome and revelations to make. I should perhaps state that, though there is a love story here, I would classify The Feasting Virgin as literary fiction, and maybe that’s what sets it apart from the romance-flooded lesbian fiction genre. I’ve noticed that more literary lesbian fiction doesn’t get as much attention or readership, and I think that’s a real shame. Books that break out of the mold, that take risks, should be given just as much attention as the feel-good more formulaic works that get pumped out a dime a dozen. Not saying those aren’t enjoyable, but if we don’t give attention to books that broaden our viewpoints and challenge us, then are we really enjoying fiction to the best of its abilities?
Back to the amazing details in this novel – whether it was the placement of religious statues or flower petals floating in bath water, the imagery was beautiful and poetic. And the food! There’s something about food in literature that really draws me in. The descriptions here were so sensational and detailed. It actually inspired me to cook something new for dinner right after I finished it. There are recipes, graciously included in the novel so the reader can also try their hand at cooking Greek food. I loved this. I was going to try to bake some bread (something I’ve never done before, and one of the easier looking recipes) before posting this, but my grocery store was out of yeast. I’m making it a summer goal to try a few of the recipes out. I need to experience what this amazing sounding food tastes like for myself.
Like I mentioned above, the characters here are engaging, and their plights are relatable and interesting. The relationship between Xeni and Callie was so sensual, especially when Xeni was narrating. Sometimes love seems especially tender when it’s between two people who are so drastically different, and yet, spend the time to understand and care for each other despite those differences.
Not only will The Feasting Virgin make your mouth water, but the next time you’re in the kitchen, throwing together a quick meal or preparing a five-course spread, you’ll feel a little bit of magic in the ingredients, or at the very least, you’ll know what type of olive oil you should be buying.