Michelle Huneven Knihy

An NPR Best Book of 2022 “Delectable. . . Huneven treats us to a savory plot that blends spiritual yearnings with earthly pleasures. Forks out!” —Oprah Daily From critically acclaimed, award-winning author Michelle Huneven, a sharp and funny novel of a congregational search committee, told as a memoir with recipes Dana Potowski is a restaurant critic and food writer and a longtime member of a progressive Unitarian Universalist congregation in Southern California. Under pressure to find her next book idea, she’s asked to join the church search committee for a new minister and agrees, resolving to secretly pen a memoir, with recipes, about the experience. That memoir, Search, follows the travails of the committee and their candidates—and becomes its own media sensation. Dana had good material to work with: the committee is a wide-ranging mix of Unitarian Universalist congregants, and their candidates range from a baker and microbrew master/pastor to a reverend who identifies as both a witch and an environmental warrior. Although she may have been ambivalent about joining the committee, Dana finds that she cares deeply about the fate of this institution and she will fight the entire committee, if necessary, to win the day for her side. This wry and wise tale will speak to anyone who has ever gone searching.

In a small town in the Santa Bernita Valley, life rarely unfolds as expected. Among its fewer than a hundred inhabitants, Red Ray, a struggling alcoholic lawyer, attempts to salvage his marriage by buying a dilapidated Victorian mansion. After a final binge derails his plans, he transforms the property into a drunk farm, Round Rock, where he embraces a new purpose one day at a time. Meanwhile, Libby Daw remains stuck in her trailer, feeling increasingly anchored to the valley she longs to escape after her husband leaves for Los Angeles. Lewis Fletcher, an erratic graduate student, unexpectedly finds himself under Red's care at Round Rock, despite his reluctance. As these characters navigate their lives, the town's peculiar history looms large. Billie Fitzgerald, an heiress from the original settlers, conceals her complex emotions while remaining devoted to her family. David Ibañez returns, discovering that his family's legacy in the groves is intertwined with his own future. With insight and artistry, the narrative explores their quests for peace, love, and happiness amidst human frailty. This vivid portrayal of landscape and community captures the struggles and resilience of its characters, making for a fresh and surprisingly mature debut that resonates deeply.