HONEY

I absolutely loved listening to this audiobook, and Honey is one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve read in a long time! Honey has spent decades distancing from her New Jersey mob family, but in her older age, she has come back to her hometown where complicated relationships with her relatives force a reckoning with the past. Meanwhile, new discoveries, old secrets and unexpected friendships lead Honey to confront the biggest surprise of all: the reconciliation of the person she thought she was with the one she wants to be.
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Honey is one of those rare characters where you feel it’s impossible this person doesn’t actually exist. Outspoken, proud, volatile, vain, she struck me as the best of Olive Kitteridge and Hacks’ Deborah Vance, her brash exterior belying moments of vulnerability. To me the story had a very clear before and after point, and I loved how a highly nuanced, beautifully crafted scene can change everything that follows. Exploring the depth and limitations of family loyalty, and the conundrum of moral ambiguity, I think Honey would be great for book clubs to discuss!
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A pivotal, emotional scene in the story takes place at a traditional Italian dinner at the home of Honey’s nephew Corrado, with several courses and a special cheesecake for dessert, Honey’s mother’s recipe. Given all the drinking at the table, here is a twist on that version, an amaretto cheesecake (recipe: @sallysbakeblog ). This book had loads of delicious Italian food and I was tempted to make a main course instead! Do you prefer seeing sweet or savory dishes here?