The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects by Bee Wilson – Available in paper November 3, 2026
Bee Wilson takes readers on a journey involving every human emotion possible through stories embedded in the kitchen tools that hold great meaning and are held dear by their owners. “Our most significant kitchen objects can keep us connected with the dead and the absent, so no wonder we sometimes act as if they were charmed. A mother’s vegetable corer can bring the distant flavors of Syria to England. A chocolate bottle can lie undiscovered for thousands of years, only to be found and bring with it news of a whole forgotten civilization. A father’s gift of a pan may feel more precious than gold, especially when he is a continent away.” In these and other stories, including accounts of her own divorce and her mother’s decline and death, the author explores how many people have very strong feelings about kitchen gear even if they are not particularly interested cooking. “[N]othing gives an object more personal value than the memories it carries.”
The book’s title refers to one of Wilson’s most meaningful kitchen objects. She baked her wedding cake in a heart-shaped tin and planned to use it again for her 25th wedding anniversary, but after 23 years of marriage her husband abruptly left her. A baking pan that once filled her with loving memories now became a source of deep sorrow.
One of the gripping tales is the story of the “Ukrainian Kitchen Cabinet,” which in April of 2022 became the viral meme known on social media as “Be Strong Like This Kitchen Cabinet.” During the Russian invasion of Ukraine an apartment block was devastatingly bombed. The entire side of one building was completely blown away as were the floors and ceilings in the apartments. A photographer noticed an amazing thing: on one wall was an intact kitchen cabinet. The plates and mugs remained in place and unbroken. Sitting on top was a traditional folk art ceramic rooster. The image of Mrs. Nadiia Svatko’s kitchen cabinet became a symbol of Ukrainian strength and endurance. She proudly tells people that her son had installed the cabinet for her and of it surviving the bombing: “It is a sign that victory will be ours.”
Wilson beautifully chronicles a wide range of people’s deep-felt attachments to kitchen gear. The stories behind the feelings are engaging, varied and told with respect, a bit of humor and a lot of dignity.
Nancy J. Rodwan is an artist, writer, and owner of Rodwan Permissions, with over 16 years of experience in intellectual property rights clearance, specializing in print, electronic, music, and film rights.She works parttime at Book Beat and was featured in this issue of the journal Essay’d.