An NPR Best Book of 2022 “Delectable. . . Huneven treats us to a savory plot that blends spiritual yearnings with earthly pleasures. Forks out!” —Oprah Daily From critically acclaimed, award-winning author Michelle Huneven, a sharp and funny novel of a congregational search committee, told as a memoir with recipes Dana Potowski is a restaurant critic and food writer and a longtime member of a progressive Unitarian Universalist congregation in Southern California. Under pressure to find her next book idea, she’s asked to join the church search committee for a new minister and agrees, resolving to secretly pen a memoir, with recipes, about the experience. That memoir, Search , follows the travails of the committee and their candidates—and becomes its own media sensation. Dana had good material to work with: the committee is a wide-ranging mix of Unitarian Universalist congregants, and their candidates range from a baker and microbrew master/pastor to a reverend who identifies as both a witch and an environmental warrior. Although she may have been ambivalent about joining the committee, Dana finds that she cares deeply about the fate of this institution and she will fight the entire committee, if necessary, to win the day for her side. This wry and wise tale will speak to anyone who has ever gone searching. “Michelle Huneven’s Search . . . made me a believer . . . like Marilynne Robinson with a light vinaigrette . . . refreshingly candid and transparent . . . [W]e have relatively few novelists willing to write about the role of religion in contemporary life—and even fewer who address spiritual practices with humor, empathy and lived wisdom. Huneven is one of those rare spirits. Religion doesn’t bore or frighten her. She knows what a rich and fraught sanctuary the sanctuary can be.” — Ron Charles, The Washington Post “A wicked pleasure . . . Huneven is a wise storyteller . . . this novel has plot, character, structure and a delicious, deeply human pettiness that I think most honest readers will relate to . . . [Huneven’s] descriptions of food are the best I’ve ever read.” —Mary Beth Keane, New York Times Book Review “Huneven's comic novel is a delicious, recipe-laden, must-read . . . hilarious.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR   “Religious folks of all denominations should find something to make them nod knowingly, laugh out loud and cringe in this telling novel—summer reading at its finest.” — Amy Pagliarella, The Presbyterian Outlook “Whoever said that university politics are vicious because the stakes are so low probably never served on a ministerial search committee . . . Delightful . . . wry and thoughtful . . . Huneven has total command of her material . . . Huneven is such a smart and funny writer.” —Ann Levin, Associated Press “Enthralling . . . The strengths of Huneven's novel lie in her deep understanding of human nature . . . It's fascinating to watch how skillfully Huneven moves committee members from one side to the other, and to watch, appalled, as the inevitable slowly happens. Those scenes are a master class in group dynamics . . . Search is a fun read. While the book is laced with plenty of humor (which Dana herself does not always see), it is laced, too, with plenty of wisdom. We can search, Huneven is saying, but you just never know what you might find.” — Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune “Sassy and savvy . . . a surprisingly amusing account of ecclesiastical politics in the age of ‘wokeness’ . . . as mouthwatering an experience as reading Martin Walker’s Bruno . . . spiced with wit . . . it is not quite a satire, since Huneven has too much respect for all her seekers.” —Dan Cryer, Los Angeles Times "A treat to return to every evening: thoughtful, calming, funny." — Edan Lepucki, The Millions “Readers with congregational experience will find in it the universal feelings of frustration and humor . . . This combination of passions highlights the committee’s dual yearning for spiritual and earthly sustenance.” — Rabbi Benjamin Altshuler, CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly “Offers hope, comfort, and a comic reality check for those of us who continue to throw our lot in with this wacky, disorganized, earnest experiment we call church . . . full of intrigue, drama, and absurdity . . . often laugh-out-loud funny, the story is also heartbreaking . . .  Search  does not hold back from the sloppy and sinful moments that so often happen in our church communities, but it holds on to what lies at the core of congregational life for so many of us: fellowship, a longing for holy mystery, and working toward a better world. Sometimes this leads to hypocrisy, hubris, and disaster. But more often, the search is in fact sincere, hilarious, and full of grace.” — Heidi Haverkamp, Christian Century   “James Beard and Whiting Award winner Huneven gleefully digs into the sausagemaking of a New-Agey church committee trying to reach consensus. . . . Huneven spar