The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Author: Aimee Bender
Published: Anchor Books, 2010
292 pages


IIIIIIIIIIIIIII'M BAAAAAACKKKK!!!  After a long summer of reading way more books than is normal, I am going to start tending to my blog again.  I'm going to start with this one because I really want someone else to read it.

This book is written from the perspective of Rose Edelstein, a very average girl with the very above-average ability to taste emotions in food.  She discovers her ability rather harshly, after biting into her birthday cake and tasting her mother's contempt, dissatisfaction with her marriage, and overall sadness (hence, the title).  Rose continues to experiment with different types of food, and the book moves quickly over the span of about 15 years, during which time Rose never really does anything interesting or noteworthy, except for tasting her mother's affair.

The strangest part about this book is Rose's brother Joseph, who Rose looks up to as a kind of genius.  Rose starts to notice he disappears every now and then, and when he reappears he is totally exhausted, and nobody knows why.  When he goes away to college, he becomes extremely withdrawn and inaccessible.  Then one day, Rose goes to check on him and she walks into his apartment and sees......

Sorry, I can't tell you what she sees because I'm dying for someone else to read this book so they can tell me what the hell they think goes on.  Because I still haven't figured it out.

I don't know what it was about this book that made me unable to put it down.  It seemed so average and mundane, but I was enthralled.  I can't say it any better than the San Francisco Chronicle reviewer who said, "Few writers are as adept as Bender at mingling magical elements so seamlessly with the ordinary."  That's exactly what it was.  It was a realistic portrait of a slightly strained family with the tiniest fantastical elements that made it a mystery, but still familiar and comfortable.

I am definitely going to see what else Aimee Bender has to offer.  Also, first person to read this book and tell me what they think gets a batch of cookies!