Aftertaste, the debut novel from Daria Lavelle, won’t come out in the United States until May 20. That hasn’t stopped Sony Pictures, however, for picking up the rights to adapt the story.
Deadline broke the news today about the acquisition. The book has also sold in 12 international territories, suggesting it will be one of the major books of the year.
Here’s the blurb of Aftertaste, per Goodreads:
Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around Kostya ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes.
Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes for them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him.
Sony optioning the books is the first step toward getting a production off the ground. Given it’s still early days, there’s no news yet on who will direct or pen the script, much less who will be cast.
