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.