Los Angeles–based author Melissa Broder stirs one calorie-conscious twenty-four-year-old lapsed Jew named Rachel together with a Reubenesque Orthodox Jew named Miriam who works at a frozen yogurt shop. Naturally, they fall for each other. Austerity meets hedonism as the two women meld viewpoints, worlds, bodies, and mothers in an attempt to find some happily-ever-after middle ground. Dark and pointed, this novel’s mouthfeel is so sumptuous you might not notice its sharp bite, but the aftertaste will linger.
Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder. Published by Scribner. The editor is Kara Watson, and the agent is Meredith Kaffel Simonoff. Milk Fed is a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction, presented by the Ferro-Grumley Foundation in conjunction with the Publishing Triangle; the winner will be announced on May 11.