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Marie NDiaye is so intelligent, so composed, so good, that any description of her work feels like an understatement . . . . There's the evenness of her prose, eminently polished, deliciously rhythmic, that seems to glide over the violence underneath . . . . Who is this writer? And how did she get to be so good? . . . . The Cheffe is a powerful reminder that any act of creation requires an act of patronage; there is no pure creation without the audience that consumes it. --Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books A sensual portrayal of the indispensable place of talented cooks in the world of the French bourgeoisie. NDiaye's heroine doesn't wield overt power over this class, but instead commits herself to delivering savory before sugar, invention and technique before pleasure. --Ankita Chakraborty, The New York Times Book Review An arresting portrait of a self-effacing genius. --The New Yorker (Briefly Noted) NDiaye utilizes the relationships between characters to observe the wide scope of love in our lives, how it drives us, and where...a story about impressions, ideas, and the extreme subtleties of human relationships. --Megan Otto, Chicago Review of Books Luminous...Any woman who has ever allowed her career to take precedence, even for an hour, over her offspring, will cringe in understanding. --Bethanne Patrick, The Washington Post The Cheffe is so gracefully reserved that her story is equal parts alluring and infuriating. Not knowing usually is...Cooking, serving, and enjoying food is its own method of communication. --Francesca Giacco, Guernica Like a great meal, The Cheffe leaves us pleasantly sated but still wanting more. --Thane Tierney, BookPage [A] portrait of a woman comfortable in her own skin, in...hypnotic prose that stalks and surrounds its subject as though hypnotizing it. --Eric Chevillard, Music & Literature no.8

Marie NDiaye is so intelligent, so composed, so good, that any description of her work feels like an understatement. --The New York Review of Books Beautiful. . . . A story about impressions, ideas, and the extreme subtleties of human relationships. --Chicago Review of Books An arresting portrait of a self-effacing genius. --The New Yorker Luminous. . . . Any woman who has ever allowed her career to take precedence, even for an hour, over her offspring, will cringe in understanding. --The Washington Post A sensual portrayal of the indispensable place of talented cooks in the world of the French bourgeoisie. NDiaye's heroine doesn't wield overt power over this class, but instead commits herself to delivering savory before sugar, invention and technique before pleasure. --The New York Times Book Review Eminently polished, deliciously rhythmic. . . . The Cheffe is a powerful reminder that any act of creation requires an act of patronage; there is no pure creation without the audience that consumes it. --The New York Review of Books An ode to wasted love. . . . The Cheffe is so gracefully reserved that her story is equal parts alluring and infuriating. Not knowing usually is. . . . What is the price we pay for true originality? NDiaye suggests it might be a rejection of the things we're supposed to value, that might hold us back. --Guernica Writing against cliche--e.g., cooking is a site of carnage, not delight--is vital to NDiaye's novels. Borrowing from Freud, supernatural thriller, and family saga, her work is famously difficult to classify. --4Columns Like a great meal, The Cheffe leaves us pleasantly sated but still wanting more. --BookPage [A] portrait of a woman comfortable in her own skin, in . . . hypnotic prose that stalks and surrounds its subject as though hypnotizing it. --Music & Literature no.8 Hauntingly original and told in a conversational tone that quickly makes readers feel they are the narrator's confidants, this is another entry in NDiaye's already impressive volume of work. --Booklist [An] engrossing psychological novel. . . . Like the Cheffe's recipes, at first tantalizingly simple but eventually so austere they threaten to 'tumble into fruitlessness' and become useless, the narrator's efforts to describe the Cheffe's mind and heart are both enthralling and fundamentally unreliable as a record of her life. . . . Fascinating and mysterious. --Publishers Weekly A finely constructed work with a surprising and satisfying ending, like a fine meal leading up to a delicious dessert. --Library Journal

Marie NDiaye is so intelligent, so composed, so good, that any description of her work feels like an understatement. -The New York Review of Books Beautiful. . . . A story about impressions, ideas, and the extreme subtleties of human relationships. -Chicago Review of Books An arresting portrait of a self-effacing genius. -The New Yorker Luminous. . . . Any woman who has ever allowed her career to take precedence, even for an hour, over her offspring, will cringe in understanding. -The Washington Post A sensual portrayal of the indispensable place of talented cooks in the world of the French bourgeoisie. NDiaye's heroine doesn't wield overt power over this class, but instead commits herself to delivering savory before sugar, invention and technique before pleasure. -The New York Times Book Review Eminently polished, deliciously rhythmic. . . . The Cheffe is a powerful reminder that any act of creation requires an act of patronage; there is no pure creation without the audience that consumes it. -The New York Review of Books An ode to wasted love. . . . The Cheffe is so gracefully reserved that her story is equal parts alluring and infuriating. Not knowing usually is. . . . What is the price we pay for true originality? NDiaye suggests it might be a rejection of the things we're supposed to value, that might hold us back. -Guernica Writing against cliche-e.g., cooking is a site of carnage, not delight-is vital to NDiaye's novels. Borrowing from Freud, supernatural thriller, and family saga, her work is famously difficult to classify. -4Columns Like a great meal, The Cheffe leaves us pleasantly sated but still wanting more. -BookPage [A] portrait of a woman comfortable in her own skin, in . . . hypnotic prose that stalks and surrounds its subject as though hypnotizing it. -Music & Literature no.8 Hauntingly original and told in a conversational tone that quickly makes readers feel they are the narrator's confidants, this is another entry in NDiaye's already impressive volume of work. -Booklist [An] engrossing psychological novel. . . . Like the Cheffe's recipes, at first tantalizingly simple but eventually so austere they threaten to 'tumble into fruitlessness' and become useless, the narrator's efforts to describe the Cheffe's mind and heart are both enthralling and fundamentally unreliable as a record of her life. . . . Fascinating and mysterious. -Publishers Weekly A finely constructed work with a surprising and satisfying ending, like a fine meal leading up to a delicious dessert. -Library Journal

Author Information

MARIE NDIAYE was born in Pithiviers, France, in 1967; spent her childhood with her French mother (her father was Senegalese); and studied linguistics at the Sorbonne. In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Prix Femina for her novel Rosie Carpe; in 2009, the Prix Goncourt for Three Strong Women; and, in 2015, the Gold Medal in the Arts from the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

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