‘The Golden Spoon’ Novel Hits Cultural Sweet Spot

I just devoured The Golden Spoon, Jessa Maxwell’s debut novel described as a combination of The Great British Bakeoff and Clue by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. That aptly describes this cozy mystery set at a Vermont estate in which six bakers compete on camera for the Golden Spoon at Bake Week…until someone is murdered.

I’m intrigued by the number of motifs drawn from today’s pop culture.

• Reality food show.

• Mouthwatering descriptions of cakes, pies, and breads that take on a cinematic quality. (The author is an illustrator and writes beautifully toward the visual medium.)

• Storytelling from seven characters’ points of view, guiding the reader inside the heads of people with different life experiences and some commonalities.

• The main characters who fit into current archetypes:

  • Gerald Baptiste, a high school math teacher, armed with precise recipes;

  • Lottie Byrne, a retired nurse who loves baking for her daughter;

  • Pradyumna Das, a bored multimillionaire who sold an app and took up baking as a hobby;

  • Peter Gellar, who restores old buildings and enjoys baking for his husband and toddler daughter;

  • Hannah Severson, an ingenue and longtime baker/server at her hometown diner;

  • Stella Velasquez, an out-of-work journalist and baking novice;

  • host Betsy Martin, mistress of the manor and “America’s Grandmother.”

• Dueling show hosts.

• Toxic work environment.

• Strong female leads driving the story forward.

• Baking as healing.

• Being stuck in a house with other people.

• Murder mystery.

In our changing culture, it takes a lot to stand out and connect an audience at once. I was excited to hear that Hulu is developing the novel as a series, and that Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada, will write it! I look forward to watching this adaptation.