Classifying the guys: ‘Forks, Knives, and Spoons’ is simply ‘delectable’
By Tessa RoyWhen Leah DeCesare left for college, her father educated her on the three “types” of men she’d encounter; forks, knives, and spoons. The prodding jerks were deemed the “forks,” nerds the “spoons,” and nice guys with potential the “knives.” She brought that lesson with her to Syracuse University, and it never left her mind.
The “Utensil Classification System” (or UCS) grew “very organically” at Syracuse when she attended, DeCesare said. If men didn’t fit into one of the basic categories, they’d be put into subcategories like “steak knives,” “slotted spoons,” “sporks,” or “butter knives.” The utensil comparisons became a normal part of everyday conversation for DeCesare and her floor mates.
“They would meet somebody and go ‘oh, he’s such a fork,'” she recalled.
Years later, DeCesare made the ever-evolving UCS the groundwork for her novel Forks, Knives, and Spoons, set for release in April 2017. Early reviews praise the book, with author and New York Times Well Blog columnist Dawn Lerman calling it full of “Imagination, highly relatable characters, and witty dialogue,” and author Nicole Waggoner describing DeCesare’s writing as “simply delectable.”
The book follows budding journalist Amy York, her roommate and best friend Veronica Warren, and all the people they encounter beginning with their freshman year at Syracuse. Amy and Veronica guide each other through young adulthood, sharing everything from dorm rooms to sorority bids to heartbreak caused by the “forks, knives, and spoons” they date.
Forks, Knives, and Spoons obviously sounds geared toward readers who fit the bill of its young, female protagonists. But what’s fun about DeCesare’s book is that it’s set in the late 1980s (one of her younger agents apparently considered this “historical fiction”), making it identifiable for readers across generations. Read More…
