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Table of Contents
About The Book
“A haunting evocation of pain and pleasure, and the power of food.” —Nigella Lawson
What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.
A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.
Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes.
Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him.
Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction.
What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.
A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.
Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes.
Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him.
Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction.
Reading Group Guide
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1. As Kostya discovers, aftertastes are food memories so potent and special that they form a tether between the Dead and the Living who love them. What would your aftertaste be? Who would it connect you to?
2. Share an early memory of food or cooking, and the “flavor” that memory has for you. (Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory, spicy, etc.)
3. Kostya keeps his clairgustance a secret for most of his life. If you had the power to taste the Dead, would you keep it hidden?
4. Vera’s fear and inability to cope after Sergei’s death is one of the things haunting Kostya into adulthood. How do her actions and their relationship impact Kostya’s decision-making?
5. Which of Kostya’s restaurant experiences did you like best? Library of Spirits, Saveur Fare, Hell’s Kitchen, or DUH? What did he learn about his gift at each one?
6. Kostya goes to extreme lengths to see his dad again—how far might you go to see someone you loved one more time?
7. Who (or what) is the villain or antagonizing force in Aftertaste? What causes the conflicts in the living world? What causes the issues arising in the Afterlife?
8. Maura’s confession at DUH sends Konstantin reeling. What might have happened if she had chosen to be honest sooner? Why do you think she kept her hunger and her visits to the Afterlife hidden, and did those reasons change during the story?
9. The characters in Aftertaste keep many secrets throughout the book. Which were the most surprising to you and why?
10. The book is structured with chapters that alternate between narratives from the living world (Kostya’s story) and the Afterlife (Frankie’s tour, Everleigh’s experience, Maura’s trips), meaning that the reader always knows more than Konstantin does about the effect his food is having. How would your perspective change if you only had access to Kostya’s narrative?
2. Share an early memory of food or cooking, and the “flavor” that memory has for you. (Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory, spicy, etc.)
3. Kostya keeps his clairgustance a secret for most of his life. If you had the power to taste the Dead, would you keep it hidden?
4. Vera’s fear and inability to cope after Sergei’s death is one of the things haunting Kostya into adulthood. How do her actions and their relationship impact Kostya’s decision-making?
5. Which of Kostya’s restaurant experiences did you like best? Library of Spirits, Saveur Fare, Hell’s Kitchen, or DUH? What did he learn about his gift at each one?
6. Kostya goes to extreme lengths to see his dad again—how far might you go to see someone you loved one more time?
7. Who (or what) is the villain or antagonizing force in Aftertaste? What causes the conflicts in the living world? What causes the issues arising in the Afterlife?
8. Maura’s confession at DUH sends Konstantin reeling. What might have happened if she had chosen to be honest sooner? Why do you think she kept her hunger and her visits to the Afterlife hidden, and did those reasons change during the story?
9. The characters in Aftertaste keep many secrets throughout the book. Which were the most surprising to you and why?
10. The book is structured with chapters that alternate between narratives from the living world (Kostya’s story) and the Afterlife (Frankie’s tour, Everleigh’s experience, Maura’s trips), meaning that the reader always knows more than Konstantin does about the effect his food is having. How would your perspective change if you only had access to Kostya’s narrative?
About The Author
Caroline Baptista
Daria Lavelle is an American fiction writer. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in the New York metro area, her work explores themes of identity and belonging through magic and the uncanny. Her short stories have appeared in The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and elsewhere, and she holds degrees in writing from Princeton University and Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, children, and goldendoodle, all of whom love a great meal almost as much as she does. Learn more at DariaLavelle.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 20, 2025)
- Length: 400 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668061596
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Raves and Reviews
A Most Anticipated Book from Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, LitHub and Jordy’s Book Club
"Heartbreaking and strange, this is a novel to savor, one bite at a time."—Apple Books
"Lavelle’s speculative approach is intriguing enough on its own, but it’s her skillful writing that ultimately makes Aftertaste such an evocative (and, yes, mouthwatering) read.”—Elle
"A ghost story, a love story, and a mind-bending adventure, Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle turns the concept of 'sense memory' into a delightful ride.”—Real Simple
"This is an extraordinary book...For foodies, for lovers, for those who like a side of the supernatural."—Booklist
"Delectable....the exuberant prose leavens the story’s bittersweet pathos, and the novel brims with tantalizing descriptions of international cuisines. This inventive tale of food and family is likely to whet readers’ appetites."—Publishers Weekly
“Lavelle spins a twisty plot filled with mouthwatering descriptions of food and some very hungry ghosts…A tasty variation on the supernatural thriller.”—Kirkus
"An original concept perfectly realized. Witty and poignant, surprising and satisfying, this lovely book about death is brimming with life."—KAREN JOY FOWLER, award-winning author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
"Daria Lavelle’s Aftertaste is pure magic; a story that nourishes the soul, breaks the heart, and lingers on the tongue long after reading. I am so glad to have been haunted by it. A sparkling debut from a writer gifted with wit and imagination to spare."—VIOLET KUPERSMITH, author of Build Your House Around My Body
"Aftertaste is practically exploding with love, life and flavour. I relished every word."—LOUISE KENNEDY, bestselling author of Trespasses
"Brilliantly constructed and wholly original, Aftertaste is like no novel you’ve ever tried before. It’s much more than your usual dish—it’s a whole literary tasting menu. Packed with ghosts, romance, fine dining, and the mob, it will leave you stunned, thrilled, and totally satiated."—JULIA PHILLIPS, author of Bear
“A haunting evocation of pain and pleasure, and the power of food.”—NIGELLA LAWSON
“A decadent debut that marks the arrival of a sparkling new voice. Dark and delicious, sincerely moving and at times laugh out loud funny, a heady, bittersweet, beautiful novel about life and death, grief and closure, passion and hunger. A must-read.”—RACHEL HARRISON, USA Today Bestselling author of So Thirsty and Black Sheep
“Aftertaste is a breathtaking novel. Combining the grit of the restaurant world with the magic of the afterlife, Daria Lavelle perfectly blends unexpected ingredients into a book you'll want to savor. It's a story about grief that's filled with humor, warmth, and astounding creativity, and I already can't wait to read it again.”—LAURA HANKIN, author of One-Star Romance and The Daydreams
“This is a terrific book. Aftertaste offers the glories of food and cooking—all the yes-chef details we now love—in a cool, brilliant, and suspenseful novel whose spec-fic plot wants to talk about the mysteries of sense-memory and death. I could not put it down.”—JOAN SILBER, author of Secrets of Happiness and Improvement
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