Intrigued by the idea of the 100 Mile Diet, I eagerly grabbed the galley of this book which details a Vancouverite couple’s year of eating locally. I like the idea, I really do, but I live in New England. If you plug in my zip code on their handy map which will give you your 100 mile boundaries, I saw that I might be in some trouble in winter. But this couple did it, almost ruining their relationship in the meanwhile, but still, they went a whole year. And they were very hardcore. No salt, sugar, whatever, unless is came from a local source.

As for the book, the subject matter is the most interesting aspect of the book. It’s broken up into months and Alisa and James alternate writing the chapters.  Their personal lives go through some tumult as Alisa deals with the loss of her grandmother and James tries to get to know his brother better. These parts, while adding some depth to the writers, detract in the end. I wanted to know more about how they persevered. How exactly did they can all those vegetables? I felt like I was getting fleeting glimpses into this diet, rather than the in depth perspective. It’s still an interesting read nonetheless. The chapter they spend in their cabin up North is particularly charming.