THE NASTY BUSINESS OF A BODYGUARD: BOOK REVIEW
“It took that for me to realize I wield a dangerous weapon.” “Food.” “Few other things can make people forget who they are or where they are. But it can also remind you who you are and how much you can feel.”
If you like food, then Elijah Douresseau’s The Nasty Business of a Bodyguard is for you. The American writer’s enriching sophomore novel tells the story of protagonist Alvin Gates, a chef with expertise in Caribbean food, who works as a personal chef for businesswoman and criminal mind, Jasmine Benjamin (also known as ‘Coco’), and as a confidential informant for the FBI. As Coco carries on her business endeavors and the FBI works to uncover her mystery, Alvin Gates is stuck in the middle of the two colliding parties and is purposefully left out of the loop. Everything is a mystery, but he has the tool to unveil it all. Topics such as food, human emotion, danger, hunger, and mystery are beautifully orchestrated in a way that may please any reader’s literary palate, invigorating their physical appetite and evoking personal memories that urge the reader to further consider what is behind each craved bite.
In less than 200 pages, Douresseau illustrates how a seemingly simple factor of life is so finely interwoven in all aspects of the human mind, body, and spirit. Food fuels the efforts of both the hero and the villain, is used for first hellos and last goodbyes, creates new memories while resurfacing others, and is used as a tool for flattery, manipulation, and deception. Food gives life, but this book proves that it can also take it away.
As Douresseau writes, “Food usually paralleled and complemented, more than it relieved.”
The Nasty Business of a Bodyguard enriched how I think about the human relationship with food, as Douresseau emphasizes that the purpose and capability of food are far beyond simply providing nourishment to support physical life. It is a voice of the soul, a reflection of internal emotions, and a glimpse of the subconscious.
Through vivid imagery and exuberant diction, Douresseau provokes introspective thought and tickles the reader’s taste buds. Whether describing Caribbean spices, takeout pizza, or cheesecake at kindergarten snack time, Douresseau’s imagery carries the reader across time and space.
The Nasty Business of a Bodyguard also features a subtle, yet ever-present discussion of feminism, as perhaps the most powerful character in the story is Coco. Her confident mystery, demanding taste buds, and cunning business tact drive the storyline as she strives to make her name known in the male-dominated ‘crime underworld.’ She knows how to play the game and will not let anyone stand in her way. Moreover, the work emphasizes and applauds the significance of women in our lives as protagonist Gates credits all of his inspiration and success in cooking to his mother and especially his grandmother.
Gates’ personal identity is tied very closely to his Caribbean roots through his maternal grandmother. Douresseau expressively builds on the description of this relationship and the importance of food in one’s identity by implementing ‘flashback’ chapters throughout the book. The fast-paced nature of the novel’s mysterious plot is appropriately paused, allowing readers to take a step away from being engrossed in the enthralling storyline and to savor the background that gives way to personal introspection beyond the page.
In one of these flashback chapters, Douresseau discusses the emotional relationship between food and loss by turning the emotional focus away from the recipients of the food and towards the chef who is creating it instead.
“The relationship he dictated from the stove was always getting people to depend on him to make them and their bellies merry. And if he kept making them blissful in their eating, they would not leave,” Douresseau writes.
Highlighting the importance of food for the chef is a perspective rarely seen, as usually those who consume the food seem to get more attention than the person who created it. Just as we are consumed with how a novel made us feel, what if we considered more about how an author’s craft impacts them as well?
Through this page-turning novel, Douresseau seamlessly connects intricate and delicate topics of identity, human emotion, personal introspection, and feminism with a seemingly basic necessity of human life. He skillfully weaves them into an exciting and memorable plot sure to please a diverse array of readers’ palates. The Nasty Business of a Bodyguard is an exceptionally compelling work that should be at the top of everyone’s reading list this year.