Book Report Friday: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It got a lot of rave reviews, but the concept baffled me a bit. A girl wakes up one day and realizes that she can taste the emotions of whoever cooked her food. It’s a nifty idea, but I wasn’t sure how it would play out in an actual book. I shouldn’t have been so worried. It’s a lovely little novel. It wasn’t anything earth shattering, but it was a fun read and the character development is well done.

(Get it?)

(Food?)

(Well done?)

(I think I need to start drinking coffee.)

Actually, to say that the main character, Rose, can taste emotions in her food is a bit of a simplification. Her mother’s lemon cake reduces her to tears its so sad, but she can also tell where the lemons were grown and where the flour was milled. She can tell the difference between oranges from Florida and oranges from California. And, really, the “tasting other people’s emotions” business is just a hook. The meat (HA) of the story is in a family that is falling apart at the seams.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake wasn’t particularly earth shattering, but it was an enjoyable read and it wasn’t so fluffy that it was immediately forgettable. It’s a good book to read before bed, especially when you just want to escape into a novel for an hour or so.

I think my only real complaint is that the ending felt slightly forced. But, then again, I couldn’t think of a better way to have ended it.

Speaking of which, I’m not entirely sure how to end this blog post.

FIN.