Dear Reader Welcomes Daria Lavelle, author of Aftertaste

Join us for Savor & Spirits with Daria Lavelle, author of Aftertaste, named a Most Anticipated Book from Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Lithub, and Jordy’s Book Club!

Event Date: Friday, June 13th (yes, that Friday)

Event Time: 7pm

Where: Dear Reader Books and Stationery

382 Main Street, Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Ticket price includes:

• Access to the event which includes an author talk, q&a, excerpt reading and book signing
• 1 copy of Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
• A signature drink paired with snacks inspired by Kostya's kitchen (plus water & sparkling water)
• A lovely night out with book people!

If you have already purchased a copy of Aftertaste from Dear Reader, please email allie@shopdearreader.com to purchase a ticket to the event. 

Join us for an evening of bookish conversation, sumptuous treats and a cocktail that might just bring you to another dimension! Daria Lavelle will be at the bookstore to discuss her new book, Aftertaste, one of the most anticipated titles of the year! 

In addition to the bookish conversation, we will be serving the signature drink from Aftertaste, the Spectral Sour (mocktail version available, too!) and treats inspired by the flavors from Kostya's most memorable ghosts, I mean, guests. And maybe some more spooky surprises! Space is limited, so please grab your tickets early. 

About the Book, Aftertaste

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.

About the author, Daria Lavelle

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.