Bourdain In Stories, by Laurie Woolever (Bloomsbury 2021)

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Neil

The food writer, TV presenter and chef, Anthony Bourdain, took his own life in June 2018. He was 61. A long-time collaborator, Laurie Woolever, has interviewed 90-odd people who had worked with Bourdain in various capacities, his wives and his brother, to try to understand his life and what might have led to his choice to end his life. It's chronological, and has contributions of varying length from all the interviewees at various stages of his life. It's a portrait of a remarkable man, a fantastic writer, a natural TV personality, but a conflicted and quite self-destructive personality. As it moves closer to the end of his life, there is an increasing tension, and the final sections are enormously powerful and moving, as the contributors reveal their grief and sadness. It's a brilliant project for any Bourdain fan.