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| the particular sadness of lemon cake |
For
nine year old Rose, having her mother bake her favourite lemon cake for her
birthday is a real treat, until the day she bites into it and can feel all of
her mother’s despair and sadness in the otherwise tasty morsel. At first
confused, Rose has trouble grasping the incongruence between these feelings and
her mother’s outward appearance of a happy can-do woman, but as the story
progresses, she learns to deal with what she learns through eating, not only
her mother’s cooking, but that of others as well. The
Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender is at times a fascinating
tale of magical realism. Through Rose’s unique talent the reader is reminded
that we are not always as we seem on the outside, who knows what feelings lurk beneath
the sunny exterior of the coffee barista, or the unhappy cookie baker.
I
did enjoy Rose’s storyline, how she discovered what she could feel in different
foods, how she learned to process that as a child and how it affected her
relationship with her mother. I found I could really imagine how Rose felt
every time she ate something, and I would wonder what she would get from the
food she was eating, how it would make her feel.
However,
I found the storyline of Joseph, Rose’s brother, a little odd and it took some
time to sort out what was going on with him. Joseph frequently just disappears
and then reappears, without explanation.
Not only does he disappear, but also he is able to morph into the form
of an object in the room. It was, in my opinion, farfetched and did not really
add anything to Rose’s story or to the book. Perhaps it is just me that found
the ability to taste people’s feelings as plausible, but to understand the
mysterious disappearances of Joseph took more belief than I could muster. It is
possible that the Joseph story was never really developed or fully explained as
why he needed to disappear, while the reader delves deeply into Rose, her
feelings and her ability. Either way, it did not add anything to my reading
experience.
This
book is a good read for those who enjoy a bit of surrealism and secrecy mixed
with a bit of magic.
For
other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site
at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/.
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"The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender is a captivating novel about nine-year-old Rose's journey of self-discovery and her ability to taste emotions in her mother's lemon cake. The story explores hidden emotions and complexities, with the introduction of Joseph, Rose's brother, adding an element of mystery. motorcycle accidents
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ReplyDeleteThis book's exploration of emotions through food is fascinating! It reminds me of how catering food can evoke powerful memories and feelings. Truly a unique way to connect with our experiences.
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