The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
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Being able to taste people's emotions in food may at first be horrifying. But young, unassuming Rose Edelstein grows up learning to harness her gift as she becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.
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When she turns nine, Rose Edelstein discovers she has a remarkable gift. In whatever she eats, she can taste the mood of whoever made the food. Unfortunately, what she tastes most often is despair, longing, hurt, or emptiness – so her gift is actually a curse. Only one person believes her, her brother’s brilliant best friend. One person ignores her, her nearly-brilliant brother. Her vibrant mother frets, her distant father placates. As Rose matures, so does her talent, until she can taste individual ingredients, tell where they came from, and even which farm or factory. But always there is the human element in the food that tastes of something sad, and always Rose must mask the nature of her gift by eating pre-packaged junk food. However, when her detached brother begins to disappear for days at a time, Rose begins to realize that she may not be the only person in her family with a peculiar talent, and that hers may not be the most painful. The story is told from Rose’s rather neurotic perspective, but the author uses the unusual convention of no quotation marks to indicate when a character is speaking, so the reader must pay closer attention to the narrative, pay closer attention to who is saying what. But as Rose discovers, being able to taste people’s moods is no more revealing the words they speak, and it certainly gives her no power to prevent or correct the sadness she senses in others. The central character of the first part of the novel is her mother, the climax of the novel involves her brother, but the mystery behind her own talent is solved from an entirely unexpected quarter. With this revelation Rose stops resenting both her gift and herself, and learns to appreciate the uniqueness of both. Funny, heartbreaking and mysterious, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a surreal tale comparable to The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman or The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.
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Add a Quote"If anyone had been crying for any reason, he'd pull out a tissue and pat down our cheeks and say salt was for meat, not faces" Rose - on her father
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Add a CommentThe Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is well written fantasy with its basis in realism. The story explores the life of a young girl and her seemingly typical family, as well as, her unique ability to taste the feelings of the chef in the food she eats. This discovery leads to complex revelations about her family and the world. I found the first three-fourths of the book to be very enjoyable, but the ending was very unsatisfactory, unbelievable, and diverted far from the original story line and premise. However, others have told me that they very much enjoyed all parts of the book.
Super fun premise if you are a fan of mystical realism. The concept of emotion-tasting contrasts the mundane suburban life of an ordinary, passably-functional family. It's sometimes a bit melancholy, which rings true to life for a first-person narrative of a coming-of-age tale of a girl who desires to earn favor & emotional connection w/ her socially awkward older brother. However, there a several different directions in the plot lines, and I had a little trouble envisioning some scenes - enough that I almost quit.
McKayla recommended June 2012
This book was not what I expected at all! I had very high expectations and the initial premise is very interesting, but it kind of lost me by the end.
Did not like this book it was rather weird to me. It is about a girl who eats certain food and then she can feel what other people feel or think. Her brother keep disappear I believe at the end her turned into a chair?
I enjoyed the novel idea of this book and was caught up in the character of Rose right away and her development throughout. I never really clearly understood what was going on with her brother and found this subplot was a bit distracting...and this also kept the ending from being satisfying.
Such an interesting read, with fulling developed characters. Does leave one wanting a bit more at the end though. Vaguely unsatisfying when finished!
The writing is amazing. The story was, for me, a mixed success. On the positive side, it was original and unexpected. Ultimately, I was left full of emotion, if also a little bit confused. But isn't evocative writing what writing is all about?
A strange and surprisingly moving novel built on an interesting concept.
A charming unusual book - completely unique. Psychic powers in the taste buds!