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First fiction book of 2025, and we are starting off strong!

If Cloud Atlas is an astringent pour over, Slade House is a double espresso: a bit punchier, shorter, and more direct. Mitchell readers shouldn't be surprised that this story is told through discreet narratives tied together. Compared to Atlas, there's much less to hold on your head at once.

At times, I was a little put off by new age/woo woo elements to this world, but it was nice that the protagonists shared this skepticism. Besides the 4/5 worldbuilding, the plot and characters are bang on.

This book warrants a sequel!

Holy moly this has been a fun and fast read on my road trip! Every Cloud Atlas reference makes me point and say "hey wait I know that guy!" lol

Family Meal gets a lot right. Multiple points of view work with this story, and the transitions to each character's narration are so smooth. The voices of each character are very distinct, so the unique tensions and relationships between them all come alive.

Much of this story's plot unfolds during cooking and sex. I only realized halfway through the book how powerful these restricted settings and activities are—when you hold all else equal, the differences in how each particular meal or sexual encounter varies between individuals or through time stands out. Family Meal is well-written, confessional, and sweet. One of the best books I've read written in the last year.