The Reservation
- Author: Rebecca Kauffman (United States)
- Book type: American novel
- Publisher: Counterpoint Press
- To be released: February 24, 2026
- Length: 272 pages
- Format: hardcover / ebook
- Prize: $ 27.00 / $ 14.99
- Order book from: Amazon / Bol
Rebecca Kauffman The Reservation reviews
- “A restaurant-based mystery reveals more than just the culprit in this sprightly drama … A tender tale that seeks the ‘immeasurable satisfaction’ of an ordinary job well-done. In what is largely a light and funny novel, Kauffman nevertheless touches some of the deeper mysteries of the human condition: desire, longing, and an inchoate sense that there is something larger than our circumstances which binds us all together. A book that proves light touches can leave lasting impressions.” (Kirkus Reviews)
- “One thing I love about fiction is that it can take you anywhere. For instance, an entire novel can take off when a whole bunch of steak are stolen from a restaurant refrigerator. That this relatively small theft can change the trajectory of people’s lives. With The Reservation, her sixth novel, Rebecca Kauffman has proven herself to be a master of documenting ordinary life—revealing how complicated, rich, puny, funny, beautiful, and absolutely bittersweet it can be.” (Marcy Dermansky, author of Hot Air)
Blurb of the new Rebecca Kauffmann novel
The Reservation explores the loves and labors of an ensemble of more than a dozen restaurant workers as they strive to get a perfect meal to the table.
On the morning of the most important booking in the long history of the celebrated restaurant, Aunt Orsa’s erupts into chaos with the discovery that twenty-two rib eye steaks have been stolen. Hers is the most august of fine-dining establishments in this Midwestern college town, and tonight Orsa is set to host a large party honoring a very special guest—a bestselling author of national renown.
And what’s up with the recent spate of online reviews, from insulting to frankly terrible? Is Orsa, who wants only to be loved, being sabotaged on several fronts? No one is above suspicion, not the Mennonite baker nor the tattooed hard-ass chef de cuisine. Could the culprit be among the servers, or even the inexperienced undergrad working as hostess?
Who aside from Rebecca Kauffman—with her talent for portraying such abundant and sympathetic characters—could write with the wit and energy needed to launch all these various individuals whirling through their days with such complex and interactive choreography?
Like the works of the mystery guest, The Reservation is a dynamic and captivating story that shows us what it takes to get a beautiful meal to the table.
Rebecca Kauffmann received her MFA in creative writing from New York University. She is the author of Another Place You’ve Never Been, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, The Gunners, which received the Premio Tribùk dei Librai, The House on Fripp Island, Chorus, and most recently, I’ll Come to You. Originally from rural northeastern Ohio, Kauffman now lives in Virginia.