âA journey of the heartâŚShah writes with sensuous passionâ (The New York Times Book Review).
When Anna, a chef by profession, discovers sheâs pregnant, she prepares to leave dreary London behind and move to idyllic Provence, France, with her husband, Tobias, and her lovable baby-to-be. But sheâs suddenly forced to reevaluate her dreams when their baby is born less than perfect. Little do Anna and Tobias know that the change in plans sparked by Freyaâs birth is the beginning of an incredible journey of the heart. Along the way, they discover that there truly is no such thing as a mouse-proof kitchen, and though life sometimes gets a little messy, itâs the messy bits that give it meaning.
The couple and their new daughter end up in a vermin-infested farmhouse in a remote town in Franceâfar from the mansion in Provence theyâd originally imagined. Their rickety home is falling down around them, the village is involved in a decades-old trauma, and even the charms of the regionâs lavender fields and a budding romance between two of their young neighbors canât distract from the fact that Freyaâs hospital stays are becoming frighteningly frequent. Anna must draw on reserves of strength she never knew she had just to keep going from day to day. But will it be enough to keep her family togetherâand her daughter safe?
Told with âthe most pitch-perfect, radiant proseâ (New York Times bestselling author Marisa de los Santos), The Mouse-Proof Kitchen is a moving and thought-provoking story about how the best parts of life are often the most complicated.