I'm so glad I read Chantha Nguon's beautiful memoir "Slow Noodles." I loved the combination of her stories with recipes and associations. For example, she said garlic, chili and lemongrass taste like prosperity and linger, making you think you have recently eaten. Or describing how much luxuries like limes meant after her experiences with hunger.

As someone who has been privileged to visit Cambodia, including Battambang, I learned so much from this book to provide context, especially about recovery after the war. I really loved her descriptions of returning to Cambodia after the war and how it had changed. I also appreciated reading about her journey to Thailand and kindness experienced along the way. Her stories of waiting in refugee camps (such as trading on the black market for cooking oil and instant noodles) and repatriation also really capture the refugee experience more than most books. Her hopeful spirit to help improve the world, especially for women, was very encouraging. I also really appreciated the afterword from her daughter as well as her daughter's narration of the audiobook. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the eARC.

Hearing the Authors daughter narrate this story is incredibly touching. The format of having recipes read throughout the book breakup the narrative on audio format as they are read aloud in full. I can't wait to try them but it was slightly distracting when listening.

OUCH. THE BIG OUCH. I am so thankful to Hachette Audio, Chantha Nguon, and Netgalley for granting me access to this one before publication day, February 20, 2024.