ELI OVER EASY

In apprehensive tones, André Santana artfully conveys the concerns of tween Eli as he mourns the sudden loss of his mother, a professional chef, due to the pandemic. At the same time, he is adjusting to life in New York City after a move from Minnesota. When Eli stumbles upon an archive of cooking videos made by his mother, Santana taps into Eli's grief with a falling inflection and slight tremor. His neighbor and attractive friend, Mathias, encourages Eli in a calm, mellow voice to start trying out the recipes--if only to save Eli from one more half-frozen breakfast burrito. Buoyed by the high-pitched enthusiasm of his cousin, a rising YouTube star, Eli begins his healing journey. The accompanying pdf of recipes--Eli's wry commentary included--is icing on the cake. E.E. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]