Shobhaa De's book oscillates between the sombre and serious and is delightful in its description of everything Bengali

Shobhaa De's memoir 'Insatiable: My hunger for life' offers reflections on mortality, everyday fears and vanities as the writer approached her 75th birthday. Written in the the shadow the COVID-19 pandemic, Shobhaa chronicles a year of attempting to bring together family and friends in diverse places, her pursuit of writing as well as the rituals and rhythms of literary and cultural festivities, and ties them all together with food. She offers anecdotes and portrayals of friends who share in similar passions, including Abhijit Banerjee, co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and author of 'Cooking to save your life', a collection of home-cooking recipes interspersed with his economic insights.