Edward lives in New York. His wife has just died and he’s grieving. Isabel Vincent also lives in New York. She agrees to keep an eye on Edward, as his two daughters live outside the United States – one in Greece, the other in Canada.

Isabel, a newspaper journalist, is middle-aged and having marital problems. Edward is 90 years old, retired and harbouring suicidal thoughts.

It’s a setting, one would think, for a dark, depressing tale of woe.

But Edward is an excellent cook and a budding mentor. Isabel loves food and is an experienced investigative reporter.

They both live on the East River’s Roosevelt Island. There are two restaurants, one coffee shop and a supermarket that residents refer to as the antique store because most of the items sold are well beyond their ‘best before’ dates.

Isabel is invited to eat at Edward’s apartment. Steak marinated in balsamic vinegar and seared to perfection is placed on dinner plates warmed in the oven. The sauce bourguignonne is velvety brown and rich. The new potatoes are topped with a pat of butter and chopped parsley. The Malbec wine is red, dry and probably from Argentina. The dessert is a chocolate soufflé. Isabel realises that, for Edward, cooking is a passion and a serious art form.

Edward enjoys a bourbon on the rocks, subscribes to The New York Review of Books and occasionally reads The New York Times. The dark notions that weighed on him after his wife died are slowly dispelled as he becomes more and more involved in helping Isabel navigate middle-age, her divorce and work problems.

Isabel takes heed of Edward’s advice and becomes more self-assured. Whatever is happening in the world outside Edward’s home, their weekly dinners à deux are an interlude of calm.

Dinner with Edward is a memoir that’s compact, engaging and heartwarming.

Reviewed by Clive Hodges