‘Umami is a debut novel that I am afraid has been criminally under-read, a slim book about community and loss that somehow doesn't feel as heavy as it could. Told from multiple perspectives within a building complex in Mexico City, it feels as if the early chapters are short stories with little in common, but Laia Jufresa magically layers them on top of each other, illuminating the secret sorrows that connect them all. It's beautifully translated by Sophie Hughes, a tall order because of the different kinds of language all of the characters use. In the end, Umami isn’t resolved in the ways a traditional novel would be – but it's satisfying and moving.’
‘In Umami , language itself is a character. The talents of Sophie Hughes are displayed in Marina’s constant wordplay which comes alive in her sensitive and playful translation. Jufresa’s talent for neologism and her inventive structure give the novel a lightness of touch that never undermines its revelations, but rather enhances them.’
'Jufresa, an extremely talented young writer, deploys multiple narrators, giving each a chance to recount their personal histories, and the questions they’re still asking. Panoramic, affecting, and funny, these narratives entwine to weave a unique portrait of present-day Mexico. '
‘A tale of five lives in one block in Mexico City’s inner city – in a complex designed with human tastebuds in mind – this sad and funny novel has already snagged awards, and was dubbed an “international hot property” by PW when the English rights were sold.’
'This book is such a gentle and sensitive deep dive into the cycles of mourning and loss out of which families are made and unmade, terrifying and uncanny, without ever losing sight of the daily banalities of hearth and home and love. Cooked to perfection, ready to serve.’
‘Grief, though, is neither defined by culture nor constrained by time. Yes, Jufresa could have written Umami the “normal” way – a single perspective in chronological order with first person the whole way through – instead of this backwards telescope, alternating voices and switching perspectives between first and close third. That version of Umami would be a dark, bitter thing, like molasses in the coffee grounds. Instead, Jufresa and Hughes offer a version that is complex without weight, a saffron purée. Dynamic and delicate, Umami draws our attention without pretense.’
'Umami is true to its whimsical premise, the narrative a little sweet, a little salty, by turns bitter and sour. Very umami, and very funny at times despite the tragedies that mark each household. The setup could admittedly become tired over 250-plus pages, but Jufresa also works an innovative structure that leaves the reader questioning until the end.’
'This book was one of my favorites this year'
‘Umami’s style is whimsical and inventive...[it]’s heart, charm and originality are a welcome addition to Mexican literature’.
‘Umami offers the enticing prospect of a vast and filthy megalopolis being opened up’.
‘Fans of contemporary literature are in for a treat’.
‘Reading Umami is like traveling through the minds of everyone we know, guided by a soft, reliable voice that tells us: stop, listen, observe.’
author of The Story of My Teeth Valeria Luiselli
'Ms Jufresa: Where the f*#! did you learn to tell a story so well?'
author of Sudden Death Álvaro Enrigue
‘Jufresa directly appeals to any reader who was once a 12-year-old girl obsessed with Agatha Christie (*cough* me), but also, and truly, this is a gorgeous book that meditates on loss and grief, healing and redemption, and also offers an enchanting look into life in contemporary Mexico.’
‘Umami is narrated by a child – a very, very funny child – as she grapples with the death of her sister. The novel expands to the lives of her neighbors in Mexico City, and something very special happens as their stories begin to intersect and merge. File this under the "makes-you-a-better-person" heading.’
‘A wonderfully surprising novel, powered by wit, exuberance and nostalgia.’
author of Book of Clouds and Asunder Chloe Aridjis
'A lovely novel about family, friendship and community that is told through multiple points of view from people living in a small development in Mexico City. The range in characters from the recently widowed landlord, to the twenty year old “spinster” struggling to eat, to the girl building a milpa whose sister recently passed, all beautifully ties together through community, allowing for the exploration of many kinds of grief.’
‘Presents an evocative and sensory insight to its central American setting...The five voices and the jumpy timeline require a little patience, but perseverance pays off’.
'Ms Jufresa: Where the f*#! did you learn to tell a story so well?'
author of Sudden Death Álvaro Enrigue
‘Umami offers the enticing prospect of a vast and filthy megalopolis being opened up’.
"Jufresa directly appeals to any reader who was once a 12-year-old girl obsessed with Agatha Christie (*cough* me), but also, and truly, this is a gorgeous book that meditates on loss and grief, healing and redemption, and also offers an enchanting look into life in contemporary Mexico." —Nylon Dynamic and delicate, UMAMI draws our attention without pretense. ”— Annalia Luna, The Rumpus UMAMI , Jufresa, an extremely talented young writer, deploys multiple narrators, giving each a chance to recount their personal histories, and the questions they’re still asking. Panoramic, affecting, and funny, these narratives entwine to weave a unique portrait of present-day Mexico. "— The Millions Guaranteed to challenge and move you. "— Vogue (UK) —Valeria Luiselli, author of The Story of My Teeth —Álvaro Enrigue, award-winning author of Sudden Death —Chloe Aridjis, author of Book of Clouds and Asunder Savage Detectives did this, and so does Laia Jufresa's extraordinary, utterly enchanting and brilliant, multi-everything UMAMI."—Francisco Goldman, award-winning author of Say Her Name —Aaron Bady, Literary Hub UMAMI , set in early 2000s Mexico City, an anthropologist of pre-Hispanic diets lets a block of flats, each named after one of the five tastes. (He, of course, takes Umami for himself.) A novel of the apartment block’s interconnected family dramas, told from five perspectives – anthropologist Alf, art student Marina, preteens Ana and Pina, and five-year-old Luz – Umami is true to its whimsical premise, the narrative a little sweet, a little salty, by turns bitter and sour. Very umami, and very funny at times despite the tragedies that mark each household. The setup could admittedly become tired over 250-plus pages, but Jufresa also works an innovative structure that leaves the reader questioning until the end. A satisfying read. " —The Globe and Mail —World Literature Today “I couldn’t put this book down, and when it did end, it left me in tears. An extremely charming novel that seamlessly toggles between a couple of years in the lives of the people who inhabit a Mexico City tenement compound. Particularly wonderful are the amaranth scholar who sets out to reconstruct his beloved wife through writing after she dies of pancreatic cancer and Luz, the five-year-old girl who drowns shortly after her narration ends (as we learn from her sister Ana—a lovely character, as well—in the book’s opening pages). Jufresa’s disarming, unabashed tone and interest in the intersection of languages and cultures reminded me of Chloe Aridjis’ wonderful Book of Clouds, while Sophie Hughes’ translation stands alongside the original as a dazzling feat in its own right. Hughes won the English PEN Award for this translation, and I can certainly see why, as the English abounds with inventive and delightful solutions to the challenges of the Spanish. A beautiful and surprising meditation on community, absent maternity and growth of all kinds.”—Jennifer Croft, Founding Editor of The Buenos Aires Review and judge for Three Percent's Best Translated Book Award —Flavorwire
