Review: The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti

When Michael Paterniti graduated from the University of Michigan, he stuck around Ann Arbor to work part-time on the newsletter put out by the now-famous Zingerman's Deli. One of the more esoteric items sold in the store was the world's most expensive cheese: Paramo de Guzman, made by a family in Castile. Although he was too poor to taste it then, Paterniti never forgot the cheese. A decade later, looking for a good freelance story, he decided to go to Spain, hoping to track down Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras, the man behind the cheese.

Traveling with a Spanish-speaking friend, Paterniti figured he'd get an interview, taste the cheese, and take some photos. What he didn't expect was to fall in love with the village of Guzman and to get caught up in the stranger-than-fiction tale told by Ambrosio. In The Telling Room Paterniti introduces us to a corner of Castile that seems isolated from the twenty-first century. It's a place where men still spend the evenings in their family caves (known as telling rooms), sharing food, wine, and gossip.

Although the cheese, which proved to be elusive, is at the center of the story, The Telling Room is really about Ambrosio, miracles, family bonds, fortunes won and lost, friendships, chirizo and wine, and the beauty of Castile. In fact, the history of this artisan cheese and its maker is the stuff of classic novels, complete with (as the subtitle of the book proclaims) love, betrayal, and revenge.

Paterniti was profoundly affected by the years he spent traveling to Spain and by his friendship with Ambrosio. He shares his naivete and slow awakening to the truths of Ambrosio, his obsession with the cheese, and his struggles to turn his experiences into a book.

As other reviewers have noted, The Telling Room is a mix of memoir, travelogue, food writing, biography, adventure, and even mystery. It has won wide-ranging praise from a number of food writers and from major newspapers and review sites; it was also an Indie Next pick for August 2013.

I too enjoyed hearing about Paterniti's adventures, but The Telling Room was not an A+ read for me. I had three principal problems with the memoir. My biggest issue was the repetition; some parts of the story were told several times, not to add details but, perhaps, to remind the reader of important or key events. Second, Ambrosio's personal drama (mostly involving the cheese) eventually became tedious; I understood his personality early on and didn't need it be drummed into me. Finally, although I sympathize with Paterniti's problems with finding a way to shape this story into a coherent package, I felt the ending was a bit of a letdown; however, I suppose it was for him as well.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook edition (Audible, Inc.; 13 hr, 29 min) read by L. J. Ganser. I had mixed feelings about his performance, which was entertaining but toed the line of over the top. My complete audiobook review is available from AudioFile Magazine.

Random House / The Dial Press, 2013
ISBN-13: 9780385337007
Source: Review (audio) (see review policy)
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