The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Created by Verity in Grannynet Book Club
On the eve of her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. All at once her cheerful, can-do mother tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal.
Rose’s gift forces her to confront the truth behind her family’s emotions – her mother’s sadness, her father’s detachment and her brother’s clash with the world. But as Rose grows up, she learns that there are some secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is about the pain of loving those whom you know too much about, and the secrets that exist within every family. At once profound, funny, wise and sad, this is a novel to savour.
Media reviews:
“What rescues the book from sickly sentimentality is Bender’s sophisticated handling of the central metaphor; Rose’s gift represents every child’s ability to pick up on those little things that go unsaid.” The Independent
“Aimee Bender’s pages are rich in texture and flavour, and her blend of food and emotion as the driving force of her story is little short of inspired.” Richard & Judy’s Review
Grannynetter reviews:
“With a quick read I felt that is was written in such manner that became irrating. I hated the ‘he said ‘,’she said’ avoiding using inverted commas. But this afternoon whilst sitting with my sister in law, I re-read the last third of the book and found it quite moving…” Delphina
“Somehow the book has stayed with me. It was so sad! I think that what happened to Rose and how she made here gift work for her is the bit I really liked” Lorna
“It wasn’t a book that I’d have chosen myself, but it was interesting and I wanted to keep reading it to find out what happened. I may be tempted to read some more of her work if I spot any in the library to see if the others are written in the same vein.” GrannyHaggis
You can purchase this book online from Amazon.co.uk.
This book was discussed at the Grannynet Book Club Meeting No.1 on the 13th October 2011.
Print This Post
