Noah Whiteman’s novel, “Most Delicious Poison,” is about how different natural toxins can be found in common consumables humans use almost every day.
From the synopsis and the title, this book would be understood as an informational one on these toxins and the history of how they came to be used in these manners. While the book does deliver this style of narrative, the author also interjects his own narrative of his life and his experiences.
While the author’s experiences are related to what is being discussed in each chapter, it breaks the flow of the information if one is solely looking at it for the information and history. One chapter would be full of information, but the next chapter would start with some story of his life. Breaking the flow of the information made it hard to continue reading.
I found myself reading the first paragraph of each chapter then skimming until the toxin was being discussed. Most of the stories just feel like fluff and the book could be shortened to just contain the root information. I can see why he would mention his experience of being attacked by a hawk while on a research trip to segway into the main idea, it just did not have to be a four-page build-up.
Overall, this book is a good casual read if you are not looking for specific information and do not mind the self-narrative throughout the book. Personally, the information was good, but it was a snooze to me. Rating: 4/10
