Emma Cooper

I haven’t come across many works of fiction in which real plants play a starring role (although there are many instances of fantasy flora). The Mistress of Spices, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, is one of them. It tells the story of Tilo (named after sesame), who has devoted her life to the spices and is sent to America to help the immigrant Indians there with their health and emotional problems – via the powers the spices confer upon her.

Although there are plenty of human characters in the book, the spices have characters of their own. Each one is named, and has its characteristics discussed, in a blend of culinary reality and the myths and legends of magical realism. So it’s a little hard to work out where reality ends and fiction begins, but the blend is so powerful that it brings the books alive.

You can just imagine Tilo, old and weathered, tethered to her ramshackle spice shop in a rundown district of Oakland, California. The aroma that must rush out whenever a customer opens the doors; the sights and sounds as shoppers delve into the bulk bins and serve themselves whichever spices and ethnic foods they need to make their dinner. Most are poor; some are rich and slumming it for a taste of their childhood.

Tilo must never leave the store, allow herself to be touched, or use the power of the spices for her own benefit. In return she is granted the power to help those in need who seek her out. She can see into their lives and pains, and select the perfect spice to bring order back into their chaos. But she must remain aloof, and not develop emotional attachments that will cloud her judgement and send the magic astray.

Of course, someone appears in the store who causes Tilo to break all of these rules, and more. The Mistress of Spices is a love story, as Tilo finds that she hasn’t quite given up all hope of a life of her own. In fact, The Mistress of Spices has been turned into a sappy American chick-flick – it’s pleasant enough to watch, but it doesn’t have the charm of the book. And the ending is completely different….

So, if you want the real spice magic experience, pick up a copy of the book instead. I guarantee you’ll be perusing the spice shelves with more interest afterwards. And if you have a local Asian market, you’ll be checking the corners to see whether they’ve left a saucer of milk out for the snakes….