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The Cook

Harry Kressing

3.61 · Rating details · 423 ratings · 64 reviews

The Cook opens with Conrad, nearly seven feet tall, gaunt, and dressed all in black, arriving on his bicycle in the town of Cobb. He quickly secures a job as cook for the wealthy Hill family, winning their hearts and stomachs with his delectable dishes, and before long he has everyone around him eating out of his hand. But Conrad has a sinister, inscrutable plan in view, a ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 217 pages

Published February 1966 by Pocket Cardinal (first published 1965)

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Average rating 3.61 ·

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· 423 ratings · 64 reviews

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Aug 24, 2012 William Gibson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Little known but nonetheless fantastic. True horror written by a man with a mind unfettered by convention.

Just out of curiosity I checked Amazon.com. It has a five-star rating and is available used, in paperback, starting at $33. I have a First Printing hardback which I got for 75 cents at a yard sale. I shall now move it from the back bedroom to the safe.

It's not for sale.
...more

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May 18, 2017 AdiTurbo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

An extremely bizarre book of which I hardly know what to make. I enjoyed reading it, but was left with a strange feeling of having been manipulated somehow, like the characters of this book. It is written like a legend - it never tells you when and where the events take place. With no background, all you're left with are the characters and plot. The only interesting character is Konrad, the cook. The others are mere shadows. IS he supposed to be the devil, using people's cravings against them an ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Phil Lancaster rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another lost gem uncovered by Valancourt. A rich confection of fable, fairy story and dark, deepening horror. You'll find the enigmatic Conrad has a dish for even the most discerning palate... Highly recommended ...more

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Apr 20, 2017 Gal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: thought-provoking, read-in-2017, own, what-the-fuck

By far the most bizarre reading experiencing I have ever had. I have so many questions.

What a fantastic, well-written, beautifully odd book.

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Apr 15, 2008 Paul rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

With this book and me, it was love at first sight. The original cover was designed by Milton Glaser and when I saw it in design school I was straight smitten. Imagine this:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images... without the blurb, the pocket logo, the "A Novel" identifier. Anyway, I was into it. So I went to find/buy a copy online, and discovered it ran for around $200, since it's totally out of print. Here's why:

The book isn't good. The main character, a mysterious figure who shows up at a ri With this book and me, it was love at first sight. The original cover was designed by Milton Glaser and when I saw it in design school I was straight smitten. Imagine this:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images... without the blurb, the pocket logo, the "A Novel" identifier. Anyway, I was into it. So I went to find/buy a copy online, and discovered it ran for around $200, since it's totally out of print. Here's why:

The book isn't good. The main character, a mysterious figure who shows up at a rich family's mansion and becomes their cook, then proceeds to demand that everyone in the mansion/town do whatever he wants (give him the best cut of beef at a cheap rate, ruining an entire cow in the process; give him a free room and unlimited beer at this tavern nearby; fire the butler, who's sort of like a rival figure to him; etc.), is absolutely static and encounters not even a pothole in the road toward getting what he wants. Which, in the end, and here's a MAJOR SPOILER (seriously, don't read this if you plan on reading this book, which, good luck finding it, and also, why?). Anyway the MAJOR SPOILER is that what he wants, in the end, is to marry the dolty daughter of the household and turn the place into his own stately gluttonous pleasure dome. Check this: his wife gets so fat she can't bend her arms to feed herself and has to have servants do it for her. Cool. Great. The only glimpse of someone getting in his way is the family doctor, who in this one scene does the whole "I'm onto you, sir. Your charm and bullying may work on everyone else, but I see right through you. Your ego and unchecked confidence will be your very undoing." and you, the reader, are like Oh damn, this could be it for him -- the doctor's right! But then on the same page the cook is like "No, here she is, see?" and somehow just by revealing that one of the characters is actually present at the moment makes the doctor exit with his tail between his legs. What a bust. Anyway, I just thought the deal would be something much more devilish, like he ends up cooking the actual people and feeding them to himself or others, or something crazy like that, and there were all these clues along the way, like "[the cook] poured sauce on his own plate, but his sauce was different from theirs." and I was like OH SHIT, IT'S HUMAN SAUCE! or "He held up a glass, whose contents was a deep red." and I was like OH SHIT, IT'S TOTALLY BLOOD! No sir. The blurb on the front of the edition I read explains it all. "First, he was their cook. Then, they were his servants." THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE ENTIRE ARC! Exceedingly disappointing. The writing is OK, if absolutely unremarkable and very straightforward (think Eggers' What is the What), and it wasn't anything to slog through (except for all the adverbs), but it was a huge bummer when the climax comes and it's like, the wedding invitation has his name on it. OMG!!!!!!! Who cares. John Fowles himself said he was "fond of this book, because [he was] fond of Satan." Really? The book and its protagonist is far from satanic and hardly a fraction as evil as most people seem to claim on the internet.

Whatever. Big let down. Don't read it, and certainly don't shell out the $200 for the first edition Glaser cover. I'm not going to, that's for damn.
...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Maria Lago rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This has to be one of the weirdest and most fascinating books I have ever read. The story has a fairytale quality to it that makes it even eerier: where does this happen? Who are these people? What is the metaphore? Is there a metaphore? Or is it just that Kressing wants to scare the shit out of us? It's all possible! Read and decide for yourself... ...more

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Dec 28, 2015 Africandreamer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fable, re-readable

I've read The Cook numerous times and even went so far as buying a first edition in hardback (the green version with an attenuated Conrad on the front!) at not inconsiderable expense. I first came across it in 1988 (I think) when it was published by Black Swan and I was intrigued by both the synopsis on the back cover and the book cover itself. Some time later and after numerous re-reads, I lent the book to someone and never saw it again, hence the purchase of the first edition. That's how much I've read The Cook numerous times and even went so far as buying a first edition in hardback (the green version with an attenuated Conrad on the front!) at not inconsiderable expense. I first came across it in 1988 (I think) when it was published by Black Swan and I was intrigued by both the synopsis on the back cover and the book cover itself. Some time later and after numerous re-reads, I lent the book to someone and never saw it again, hence the purchase of the first edition. That's how much I like this book.

This remains one of my all time favourite books. In a nutshell, it's a fable about the devil joining and then subverting completely two families, all told around the topic of fabulous food. The main character, Conrad, is magnetic, sinister and repellant in equal measure...I both wanted him to succeed and fail at the same time. Clearly, there is no chance of his failing at taking over; you just have to relish how it happens. The two families are really no more than flies caught in a web and their fate is inevitable...so if you don't like fables where good does not triumph, then this will not be the book for you. At many points in the book, you may be thinking "if only they now did X, they could get out of their predicament", but no, that's just not going to happen.

The plot aside, this book canters along, written in clean, sparse, prose and dialogue, with a plot all based sound food...from dieting to gourmet to gourmand to gluttony and then back to dieting. This book simply doesn't ever get bogged down by its prose. It has the feel of an author who finished writing the book and thought "that'll do nicely - no need to write any more" - I say this having realised somewhat belatedly that some authors seem to measure perceived success by the thickness of the book, rather than the quality of the writing.

If I had my way, this book would be a standard GCSE text to ensure mass readership. This won't ever happen, but at least I've read it and can recommend it to others.

The only point of contention about this book is that Harry Kressing is a pseudonym. Allegedly, Kressing wrote a second novel, but no-one seems able to identify it, so he will remain an anonymous one-novel wonder.

...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Margaret added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2005

I'm not sure what I can say about this book that hasn't already been said - an unusual tale of diabolical manipulation and gluttony. I'm not sure if Conrad's odd influence on people was due to his food, his personality or both. Why was everyone so easily manipulated and why did they not resent it? A thought-provoking read - thanks for sharing it! ...more

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Aug 23, 2008 Patricia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I found this book on my grandfather's bookshelf years ago. It was an old edition, and it had a very creepy looking cover. It's a fantastic, quick read for a rainy Fall weekend.... ...more

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May 18, 2020 Luke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

I imagine this novel to take place in some kind of weird Mad Men universe. It's that drinks-before-dinner, hired-help-run-the-show kind of world where there's precise demarcation between what's meant to happen and those it's meant to happen to. Think of it like Upstairs, Downstairs only with Betty Draper and you're probably about right.

Naturally, this clockwork world goes to shit the moment the titular character shows up.

Conrad, the cook of the title, is seven feet tall and sepulchral. I imagi ...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Scott Drake rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A combination of simple story with simple characters and a delicious deviousness that is cleverly written to convey a sense of humor and dread simultaneously. There are few psychological stories that match this short but sweet tale.

I highly recommend this book to all readers everwhere. It's a fine wine, a gourmet meal, a pastry of unimaginable delight with a sinister smile... ...more

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May 29, 2018 Kathy Moore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction

If Austen's Emma was a male chef, and decided to start a cult, this would be the result. ...more

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Mar 11, 2019 Eric rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, surreal-fiction

Conrad the cook comes to town and effortlessly manipulates people with his food. It's like an evil Chocolat. Things start off deliciously nasty, peaking with an amazing knife fight halfway through. But it lags toward the end. The problem is how doltish the town is, how Conrad is alone in his intelligence. He has everyone (literally) eating out of the palm of his hand by page 30. The result is a little like playing a video game with cheat codes, there's no challenge anymore. Needful Things also h ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Lou rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I read this forgotten, out of print novel because it was an inspiration for the 1970's cult film "Something for Everyone" with Michael York and Angela Lansbury. The movie was a sex farce, but this novel is not, it's more of a slow burn: starting off as a fairy tale-like fable, it morphs into a chilling novella about a character (Conrad) who is ultimately evil, insinuating himself into an upper class household by seduction with food and ultimately winning them over with his forbidding personality ...more

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Oct 01, 2018 David rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The story is rather drawn out in a way. You can totally guess where it's going and you have to sit there and wait for things to very slowly drag on. The fact that the main character gets faced no opposition at any point is odd to say the least and as you read it it seems like there is some sort of thing going on, as if Conrad had some dark history with either family and you expect him to be fattening up Esther and marrying her and also slowly killing Daphne because he's secretly a bastard descen ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Galactic Hero rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Conrad shows up in Cobb's countryside to begin work as cook in the Hill mansion. We don't know too much about him save for the fact that he's tall, thin, from "The City" and interested in an abandoned castle called "The Prominence." What ensues is a steady slow inexorable grind of (view spoiler)

Not sure what I was expecting. More twists and turns? More gore? A shocking revelation? Not much of that, just the sinking realiza ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 Roy rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was an addicting read, though I’m not entirely sure why. Much like the characters in the book, I became addicted. Surely there must be some hidden meaning, some symbolism....right?

I think the character of Dr. Law had a pretty accurate quote later in the book, which sums it up pretty well:

“This is all your doing, sir . . .”
Conrad looked at him coldly. “Are you asking me or making a statement?”
“I don’t know, sir,” Dr. Law said. “I really don’t know.”

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Aug 01, 2019 Caroline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fantastic - and fantastical

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Sep 22, 2019 Debra B. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was an an excellent book with a very creative plot. I couldn't put it down. ...more

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Jun 30, 2020 Donald R rated it liked it · review of another edition

Fun read, but

Where’s the the meat? Good start that fails to arrive anywhere. It is as if like the author got tired of storytelling.

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Mar 16, 2012 Michael Lawrence rated it it was amazing

Conrad Venn is six and a half feet tall. Wearing black and carrying his personal carving knife and a distinctive collection of recipes, he rides into town on a bicycle to take up employment as cook at the mansion of the Hill family. But Conrad's prowess as a cook is as extraordinary as his appearance, and his exquisite cooking casts such a spell over the family that the entire household is soon in thrall to him.

That's most of what I remember about this novel - it's many years since I read it - ...more

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Jun 13, 2011 William Gibson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Jun 05, 2009 Melissa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book stinks. I'm sure not picking up very satisfying stuff lately. Perhaps if my household was run by servants, I'd find this tale more shocking - that nefarious cook has turned us all into butlers & maids, and now we wait on him! Nooooo!! ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Donald rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! Conrad, the cook from the title, is a wonderful character - cunning, manipulative, and, dare I suggest?, evil. I loved the subtlety of his plans and discretion with which he executed them! Fun read!

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Aug 13, 2008 Melanie Formosa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery-thriller

when i read this, i was told it was a great book. it had almost a mystical quality to it for the man who recommended it to me...he probably still has it on some hallowed shelf somewhere...

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Oct 22, 2008 Gil Reavill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Get thee behind me, Conrad

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Sep 05, 2009 Saneseeker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

I read this when I was only 14 and many times since. A unique, gripping black tale of the power of food. This book lives within me like no book I've read since... ...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Andy Deemer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fun, funny, quick yarn of a fable. A nice afternoon read.

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Jan 01, 2013 Kathleen rated it liked it · review of another edition

read in June 1994 and don't remember it ...more

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Jun 28, 2015 Maartje rated it liked it · review of another edition

A nice fable that reminded me of "Perfume" in some aspects. ...more

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Valancourt Books: The Cook (1965) by Harry Kressing	1	11	Apr 02, 2015 11:28AM

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About Harry Kressing

Harry Kressing

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Harry Kressing is the pseudonym of Harry Adam Ruber. He was born in New York in 1928, the son of Harry and Jean Ruber. He attended Indiana University and went on to be a lawyer and also served in the U.S. Air Force. Little is known about Ruber, though he and his wife apparently lived for some time on the west coast of Ireland and also in London, where he researched at the London School of Economic ...more