Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, And the Search for Home

by: Kim Sunee'

Published by: Grand Central Publishing

Reviewed by Claire Vath

In her mid-20s, Kim Sunee’ finds herself sitting on the edge of a pool in Provence. At her tender age, Sunee’ is a companion to L’Occitane’s founder Olivier Baussan, surrogate mother to his daughter, and hostess to friends who dine with them each evening.

Kim Sunee’s life up to this point has all the makings of an incredible memoir, which unfolds in the aptly titled Trail of Crumbs. At age three, Sunee’ ends up in a Korean orphanage after she’s found in the market clutching a fistful of crumbs. Then she’s adopted by a young New Orleans couple, who have little idea of how to raise a child that is so vehemently searching for her own identity.

Eager to break out on her own, Sunee’ leaves for college, and then goes to Europe—a place she will eventually call home for more than a decade. While in Stockholm, Sunee’ meets Baussan through a mutual friend, and the two fall into a comfortable rapport.

Before long, Sunee’ has packed her bags for the dreamlike existence in Provence. Once there, Sunee’s life centers on the kitchen, cooking goat, squeezing lemons for fresh lemonade, and plucking figs. While she feeds the house of hungry inhabitants and friends, Sunee’ herself is hungry for a place in which she belongs—and despite the sense of security Baussan tries to instill, it still falls short.

Most chapters end with some of Sunee’s favorite recipes—kimchi from Korea, po-boys from Louisiana, and fish and beef dishes from Provence. French phrases are thrown in for good measure and are usually translated for the reader.

Sunee’, the founding food editor of the now-defunct “Cottage Living” magazine, writes with such precision that you yearn for more. The only negatives are that there isn’t much humor injected and it can seem a tad self-indulgent and tedious at times.

The biggest travesty, though, is that there isn’t a sequel. Has Sunee’ stopped searching? Like a perfect meal, this book is to be read and savored. This is a beautiful moving 5-star portrait of a woman who’s constantly on the move.

Armchair Interviews says: The author was a February judge on “Iron Chef America,” along with Jeffrey Steingarten of Vogue and Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appetit..

Author’s Web site: http://www.KimSunee.com