“How to Party With an Infant”
Kaui Hart Hemmings
Simon & Schuster, $26
In her delightful new novel, “How to Party With an Infant,” Kaui Hart Hemmings brings her acerbic brand of humor to the pitfalls of modern parenthood and dealing with life’s crazy, unexpected hardships.
Culinary blogger Mele Bart is a Bay Area resident with Hawaii roots. Her boyfriend Bobby was an up-and-coming chef, but Mele’s surprise pregnancy brought a devastating revelation: Bobby was already engaged to another woman.
The action opens 2-1/2 years later, after Mele has managed to make a life for herself as an unemployed single mother with financial aid from her parents. When Bobby calls to ask whether their daughter, Ellie, can be the flower girl at his wedding, fresh insecurities arise, and Mele copes by entering a cookbook contest. She finds recipe inspiration in her San Francisco Mothers Club playgroup, a hodgepodge of individuals who found each other in a rundown playground on the Panhandle.
Wholesome Georgia, no-nonsense Barrett, punk-rock Annie and the rich and handsome Henry, who might be more than just a friend: Each shares a story that helps Mele create recipes, from artichoke casserole to croque-monsieur and even a pot brownie. The cookbook becomes a cathartic experience, a joyful reawakening of Mele’s passion for writing and food.
The narrative follows Mele as she answers the cookbook contest questionnaire, sharing the experiences of her friends and her own adventures as she deals with heinous momster socialites, playground politics, preschool co-ops and so much more.
And though the secondary characters are heavily stereotyped to the point of caricature, the central characters are gritty and layered, emphasizing these social juxtapositions.
In a typical exchange, when Mele’s friend Annie comments that a snobby baby sitter is “totally classist,” Mele points out, “It’s not like you’re living in the Tenderloin or something.” Annie counters, “I don’t go to the Bar Method. I wasn’t in a sorority,” and Mele quips, “Yes, you only went to Barnard. You just bake desserts on the Wolf range.”
Fans of her other books, including “The Descendants,” will be satisfied that Hemmings’ witty style, like a sharp cheddar cheese, has kept its bite.
“How to Party With an Infant” is like a balanced dish of savory and sweet, a combination of humor and heartbreak with characters who allow themselves to be imperfect and find acceptance among friends that become family — like it or not.
