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REVIEW:
Pastries
By Bharti Kirchner

Griffin: St. Martin’s Press: Paperback Release July 2004

Reviewed By Satia Lahi

“Sunya is an emptiness that’s full—that has the potential to open up to all of life. It’s the beginning of peace.”

What happens when a baker by trade loses her ability to do what she loves most in the world? A stirring story full of the conflicts that occur when a woman is on the road to identifying herself beyond her exterior abilities, Pastries will be published as a Griffin paperback July 2004 from St. Martin’s Press. Receiving widespread reviews from publications and fans alike, this book gives a (experienced) voice to a small, independent bakery and its owner when faced with a threatening conglomerate competitor, and the heights to which a soul can rise when faced with the emptiness of starting over in mid-life.

Bharti Kirchner, author of several novels and cookbooks, could not have planned a better time to incorporate the threads of mindfulness and Buddhism that flavor her novel. Greater numbers of America’s population are looking for a spiritual awareness as they encounter the challenges of our constantly evolving country. As Kirchner says in her interview, “It is difficult to win against the big powerful corporate machinery. However you can do your best, lift your faith in yourself in the process, and manage to survive.” In this current age, the physical and spiritual journeys on which Sunya, her father, or her ex-boyfriend embark are necessary to each other—the characters become all the more alive as they are imbued with an inner searching that equals their strong outer actions.

The story of Sunya Malhotra’s quest for survival in the Bakery War leads her to the Pacific Rim, into an exploration of mindfulness and Buddhism, amidst a demonstration in downtown Seattle, and ultimately into her own self—finding peace while fighting an industry war. Sunya refuses to sell her bakery, the Pastries Café, to Cakes Plus, the chain competitor moving into her Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford, when she finds out her lease may not be renewed as a result of underhand tactics. Pastries Café suddenly loses it head baker, Pierre, and Sunya must find a replacement that will not send the rest of her staff running to the competition. Meanwhile, Sunya herself is unable to bake, having lost her concentration from the stress of management, and her signature selling point, Sunya Cake, is glaringly absent from the display case.

Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger is lurking around Sunya’s home and café, and when the food critic Donald J. Smith is informed, his column slanders the nature of the bakery. Donald’s mission to extract the secret recipe for the famous Sunya Cake from Sunya becomes an all-out battle between the two as she learns that he has taken a chair at the table with the owner of Cakes Plus, Mr. Cartdale.

Sunya soon finds a companion of her own, the handsome, intriguing and slightly flawed Andrew, a film director shooting his second film in the area. He awakens her to the deeper, second mysterious Buddhist tradition of her name, and simultaneously strikes tension between Sunya and her Hindu mother, Dee. Dee holds the fear of abandonment instilled by her first husband, a Buddhist, who left when Sunya was a baby. Sunya struggles in the middle of her mother’s new relationship with Dushan, who tries to convince Sunya to sell out her bakery to Cartdale. As Sunya unravels the meaning behind her name, and interprets the increasingly strange coincidences related to the mysterious stranger, she realizes she must leave familiar Seattle behind, including her recently ended relationship with Roger, a political activist who manages to draw her in over and over again.

Sunya hires Bob, who is Roger’s cousin, as the replacement head baker at Pastries Café and as she observes his remarkable mindfulness and focus at work she desires the same. He directs her far across the ocean to Kyoto, Japan, and the book takes off into a tightly constructed, page-turning and delightfully unpredictable reunion of fate and coincidence. In addition, the direct link to current struggles our modern society faces with conglomerate businesses creates the ideal framework for highlighting a deeper awareness of the individual and entrepreneur inside each character, and ourselves.

With its succinct dialogue and distinct characters that engender empathy through their realism and perseverance, this is the work of an experienced and gifted novelist. The substance of the main character’s actions and ethics is evenly spread through the supporting characters. A diverse cast of characters adds further realism to the story, and their authenticity is deeply rooted in knowledge of the meaning of heritage and the consequent adaptation to American society.

Kirchner conducted extensive research to craft this finely structured story—the Pastries Café becomes a real entity during the reading of this book. Fans have written inquiring where they can visit this café, and Kirchner must tell them it is truly a work of fiction—albeit the best kind. She is currently at work on her fifth novel, a story of “the joys and pathos of friendship” (see Interview). There is no doubt it will be as deliciously layered with story and characters, and strong themes that cut smoothly to heart, as Pastries.

Further Information:
• Excerpt from Pastries
• Interview with the Author