Bittersweet Journey:A modestly erotic novel of love, longing and Chocolate By Enid Futterman, Viking, $200 It seemed appropriate to read this book snuggled up in bed with a box of chocolates close at hand.
Bittersweet Journey is the tale of Charlotte, who leaves her husband and New York in search of true love. Until she finds it, she attempts to fill her longing by travelling through several European countries, gorging on chocolate.
She takes a few breaks along the way to have unsatisfying affairs with nameless strangers, a toy-boy and another woman.
It's a quick read with lots of pictures, full-page quotes from the text and several recipes. There are groan-inducing sentences: 'Eating chocolate was like having a slut for a best friend. It was a bad influence', 'Her passion for chocolate drove her down the same yellow-brick road as her passion for passion', but also others that every woman can relate to: 'The men she wanted were not the men who wanted her'. In between are descriptions of chocolate.
But it did not bring on a chocolate craving in this sweet-loving reader. Imagine being extremely hungry and having somebody serve you an overflowing plate of deliciously rich food: too much can make you lose your appetite. When Charlotte buys three boxes of chocolates and gorges herself, the description is rather nauseating.
The erotic bits were few and far between, and did not induce weakness through desire. The plot was slightly too predictable, and if you want any surprise at all, avoid reading the blurb on the back.