Someone to Cook for

“The book simmers with joy, wisdom, and delectable cooking.”—Christian Science Monitor

A light, humorous, amiably peopled, and tender novel about found families, the people who shape our lives, and the complexities of non-traditional family ties.  

Yuko has had four different surnames and been brought up in several families. The parental figures in her life, despite not being related by blood, have always cared deeply for her. Through it all, pragmatic and resilient Yuko has navigated life’s changes and its occasional conflicts without bitterness, always managing to find a kind of equilibrium.   

As an adult, Yuko falls in love with Hayase, a talented pianist she’s known since her school years. Now a married woman, she embarks on a journey to reconnect with the various parental figures from her past to seek their blessing for her marriage. Along the way, she revisits her former life and the people in it and gains a deeper understanding of what truly defines a family. 

Maiko Seo was born in Osaka in 1974. She made her literary debut in 2001 and has since published numerous acclaimed novels. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and has been adapted for film and television. Someone to Cook For is her American debut. 

Laurel Taylor is a PhD candidate in the joint Japanese Literature-Comparative Literature track at Washington University, St. Louis. She holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, where she was a recipient of the Iowa Arts Fellowship. Her translation work has appeared in Asia Literary Review and English PEN Presents.