Land of Milk and Honey

Land of Milk and Honey (2023) by C. Pam Zhang is an ecological dystopian novel that follows an unnamed narrator who is employed as a chef in a world ravaged by smog. Zhang draws upon her experiences living in both China and the United States and explores Eating for Pleasure or Survival, The Divide Between the Rich and the Poor, Sexism in the Food Industry, and Humans’ Responsibility for the Earth.

Land of Milk and Honey was a New York Times Notable Book and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by NPR, Harper’s Bazaar, and Scientific American. Zhang has won the Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award and the Asian/Pacific Award for Literature. Her debut novel, How Much of These Hills Is Gold, also won several awards and was long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize.

This guide refers to the first hardcover edition published by Riverhead Books.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include descriptions of racism, physical assault, animal cruelty, disordered eating, and death from a fire. They also briefly mention suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

Earth is in the middle of an ecological catastrophe.