New York, New York - Author Liza Palmer has tapped into the culinary drama genre with her latest page-turner, Family Reservations, and she spoke exclusively with TAG24 about creating her web of complex characters and why high-stakes kitchens have become today's most popular setting.

It's "Succession in a restaurant"... need we say more?

Palmer's latest novel, which hit bookstores on April 1, follows the Winter family – a calculated culinary crew led by matriarch and trailblazer Maren Winter.

As Maren fights the turning tides of the family empire, tensions between her and her three daughters come to a boiling point when youngest heir Athena, poised to take over Maren's legacy, is suddenly cut out of the business by her mother.

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Placing ceaselessly complex family relationships before the backdrop of the cutthroat culinary world was a no-brainer for Palmer, who explained that the two mirror each other more than readers may expect.

"There's this kind of keeping up appearances with fine dining, where these kitchens are chaos, but out front, it couldn't be more perfect," Palmer told TAG24. "That's also such a symbol of families as well, where behind closed doors, families are messy and all those things, but out in public, families try to keep up appearances that everything is perfect and fine."

While tales of bitter family rivalries are nothing new, dramas set within the culinary world have enjoyed a fresh wave of popularity in recent years thanks to acclaimed series like The Bear and movies like The Menu.

So, what makes this world so appealing?

"I think it's stakes, right? It's that drive for perfection. There's a certain kind of personality that puts itself in this line of fire for perfection, and unpacking what kind of person that is always interesting," Palmer said.

A central component of this genre is the tortured genius – one whose professional perfection has afforded them a sort of immunity, leaving their employees – and in the case of Family Reservations, their children – in the path of destruction.

"A big component of this book is the idea of genius," Palmer said. "Maren Winter is held up as this creative and culinary pioneer and genius, but what is that kind of underbelly of the idea of genius?"

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"We've seen so much of that in the culinary world where genius is kind of a get-out-of-jail-free card to be kind of terrible."

Palmer argues that genius does not mesh with the inherent imperfections of humanity, so seeing figures like Maren who can seemingly do no wrong in their careers leads their "inferiors" to be inclined to look past any and all flaws in their pursuit of continued greatness.

Maren's drive for perfection as society pushes her out in her old age is a vital force in the drama of Family Reservations, delving deep into one question in particular: "What happens to a genius that's past their prime?" With an all-female ensemble, this notion carries even more weight.

Succession-centered stories are certainly nothing new, but having one comprised solely of a matriarch and her daughters just might be.

"It's interesting to put a matriarch in it who's dealing with this genius, and that mother-daughter relationship is so singular," Palmer said.

"And the sisterly relationship – anybody who's got sisters knows – it's so singular, so I really wanted to kind of highlight those things and pull at those narrative threads."

The Winter sisters are plagued by "an external telltale heart," as Palmer calls it, bearing the weight of both extremely demanding careers and society's unique – and unattainable – expectations for women that add another layer to their fight for leadership.

As the tense family relationships strain the order of their culinary empire, the novel is inherently shaped by the feminine identities of the ensemble, breathing new air into age-old narratives of succession.

Though firmly grounded in the landscape of today, the genesis of Family Reservations first emerged from Palmer's reading of William Shakespeare's King Lear.

She hoped to bring justice to the character of Cordelia – the King's beloved daughter whose strictly drawn boundaries with him led to her tragic demise.

Palmer quipped that Athena Winter just might be Cordelia if she had the chance to go to therapy, and by learning to draw healthy boundaries with Maren, Athena just might be able to find her own sense of immunity.

"With your family, you have to be in the theater, but you don't have to sit in the front row," she said. "And for so many people, we're sitting in the front row, and we're taking hits."

"But for this book, I really wanted to think about what it means to be part of a family but not sit in the front row of the dysfunction that everybody knows is threaded into these families," Palmer added.

As reported by Deadline, the rights to Family Reservations have already been acquired by Universal TV, with writer/executive producer Ilene Chaiken helming the development at NBC.

For more Succession-esque reads, check out TAG24's book recommendations for fans of the acclaimed HBO drama.