The Rarest Fruit by Gaëlle Bélem

Available from Nook & Cranny Books when we last checked. Sold from the shop’s own store; the price there is the one that counts.

Gaëlle Bélem’s The Rarest Fruit is a captivating tale of resilience, discovery, and the untold stories behind a beloved flavor. Set in 19th-century La Réunion, this novel follows Edmond Albius, a young Creole boy born into slavery, whose extraordinary talent for botany leads him to revolutionize the vanilla industry with his method of hand-pollinating orchids. Raised by a passionate botanist after becoming an orphan, Edmond defies the expectations of his time, making a discovery that connects th