Aftertaste

By: Daria Lavelle

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos, Tessa Albertson, André Santana, Kristen Sieh

“A haunting evocation of pain and pleasure, and the power of food.” —Nigella Lawson

What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.

A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.
Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him 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 departed loved ones—just for one last meal. Convinced that his life's purpose is to serve closure to grieving strangers, he sets out to learn all he can be entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, he's 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.

Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’ll go to find satisfaction.

Critic reviews

"Ari Fliakos’s exceptional performance of haunted Kostya Duhovny is among the many pleasures of this immersive debut, a combination love story, Manhattan foodie romp, and otherworldly tale. Fliakos captures Kostya’s complex reactions to his supernatural ability to bring back the dead through food. Fliakos is ably aided by Tessa Albertson, André Santana, and Kristen Sieh, who all do fine work. But it’s Fliakos’s tour-de-force narration that elevates this listening experience. In one extraordinary moment Fliakos does a breathless dramatic monologue that merges foods and flavors while ghosts hover and howl. It all revolves around a Russian émigré’s son who is searching for meaning in kitchens and in the hereafter."

"Ari Fliakos’s exceptional performance of haunted Kostya Duhovny is among the many pleasures of this immersive debut, a combination love story, Manhattan foodie romp, and otherworldly tale. Fliakos captures Kostya’s complex reactions to his supernatural ability to bring back the dead through food. Fliakos is ably aided by Tessa Albertson, André Santana, and Kristen Sieh, who all do fine work. But it’s Fliakos’s tour-de-force narration that elevates this listening experience. In one extraordinary moment Fliakos does a breathless dramatic monologue that merges foods and flavors while ghosts hover and howl. It all revolves around a Russian émigré’s son who is searching for meaning in kitchens and in the hereafter."

Devoured It!

If you’ve worked in restaurants, love to cook, or simply love how food can trigger memories and emotions, this is the book. Story, narration, emotion, all on point. Delicious.

A Fusion of Literary genres in a great story

Aftertaste is a novel with elements of speculative fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery. Honestly, I wouldn't even know which section of Barnes & Noble to look in for this book—“The Best Multi-Genre Books of 2025”?

The plot is a masterful blend of classic New York City themes: love, loyalty, and friendship; immigration and the melting pot; perseverance and the struggle to overcome grief; ghosts, crime, and culinary brilliance; even the inner workings of all-star professional kitchens. Yes, all of that—and more.

And then there's the secret sauce: the language. Page after page, the writing is so rich and satisfying, you simply can't put it down.

My only regret? That it ended too soon. So I read it again—and it was even better the second time.

bizarrely beautiful

this is a weird story but there are so many beautiful feelings. I love it

A Most imaginative And Unique Novel

It was one of those stories hard to put down. Fascinating concept and excellent narration! Highly recommended.

The way the author linked the spices to different emotions and feelings

I loved it all!! Especially the way he joined the ghost past with life there is no part that I didn’t like OK