UpLit / Literature and Fiction · Hardback

Girls’ Kisses and Devil Food Cake

Norwegian title: Pikekyss og djevelkake

Siri Østli

Maia runs a cafe in Grønland, Oslo, where her glorious baking and the inviting atmosphere she creates captivate many of her customers. Maia's wealthy partner, Victor, works internationally for the UN and the Foreign Ministry, and considers Maia to be ‘irresponsibly carefree’ with a great deal of room for improvement.

Maia's friend, Lisen, is a pleasant and cautious schoolteacher, though her entire personality alters when she drinks. Her husband, Lars, is an artist, and has explained to Lisen that artists – for the purposes of retaining their inspiration – must occasionally sleep elsewhere, such as in other people's beds.

The third of the friends, Isabella, is a very attractive and highly successful businesswoman. Maia and Lisen aren't entirely sure exactly what she does, but she travels a great deal and has a lot of contact with wealthy older men. Isabella plans a cunning act of revenge when she is dumped by her fiancé, the affluent zoologist Carl Philip.

The problems stack up for Lisen, Isabella and Maia.

This is a tremendous and entertaining novel, written with humour and warmth by Norway's best-known ‘Queen of feel-good.’