Daria Lavelle
2026
Most Anticipated Book: LitHub, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads
In Aftertaste, young Russian immigrant Konstantin, haunted by his father’s death, develops the ability to taste the lingering flavors of the deceased through their favorite food, which he calls “aftertastes.” Driven by a desire to help others find closure, Konstantin ascends from being a dishwasher at a bar to a talented chef with the skills to open a one-of-a-kind New York City restaurant. No other chef has been capable of serving such spectral and transporting flavors, but will Konstantin’s ambition blind him to the dangers lurking in the afterlife? Lavelle’s short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter, The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and more, and has been shortlisted for prizes by The Masters Review and The Molotov Cocktail Zine. Lavelle holds a degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing from Princeton University, and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, with a focus on Speculative Fiction. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children and hyperactive goldendoodle.
“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.
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