Maiko Seo
Someone To Cook For
Published by Europa
Jul 20, 2026
Someone To Cook For is the American debut novel from Japanese author Maiko Seo. It is the story of Yuko, a girl who has had an untraditional upbringing. Her mother died and her father remarried, soon after getting a job halfway across the world. Yuko chose to stay with her step-mother, who bounced around among different men. And as such, Yuko had several different “families” before settling down with Mr. Morimiya, another man who her step-mother eventually left for greener pastures. Yuko stayed in Morimiya’s care and as such he raised her through her formative middle and high school years. In school, Yuko had a boyfriend, broke up with him and later, as a young adult, settled down with Hayase, a piano prodigy she’d know when she was younger. As Yuko and Hayase plan their wedding, Yuko takes it upon herself to reunite with all of the different people who helped raise her, reconnecting with her step-mother and her various father figures. Yet it’s Morimiya who is the person most reluctant to give his marriage blessing. Through Yuko’s wedding planning, she ends up piecing together the questions of her untraditional upbringing and discovering that family is something that can be defined in many ways. Seo’s novel is written tenderly and with a heart of gold, and its ending surprises, turning the tables from what it means to have a diverse set of “parents” to what it means to be a parent. (www.europaeditions.com)
Author rating: 7.5/10
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