Monday, December 31, 2012

Book 27: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender


This book was one of many recommendations to help people get over the loss prematurely cancelled TV shows.  In this instance, it was for people that loved Pushing Daisies.  While the book was interesting, it unfortunately had none of the whimsy and humor that Pushing Daisies radiated.

Rose just turned nine and is desperate to try a piece of lemon cake with chocolate frosting that her mom made for her birthday.  She sneaks a slice and discovers that the cake tastes horrible.  It tastes like longing, sadness, and desperation, everything that her mother felt while making the cake.  And from that moment on Rose is cursed with this ability to feel how a person feels through the food that they make.  She finds that she can only stand to eat severely processed foods without being made sick by other people’s emotions.  Rose’s family has problems just like anyone’s but with the added stress of her brother’s issues and special ability, which accounts for the majority of the conflict in the book. 

Like I said, this was an interesting story, but much more depressing than I expected.  There is not much happiness in Rose’s life and her struggles with her family and food are hard to take at times, mostly because they are confusing.  I had hoped for something cheery and a little goofy, which is not what I got but I can’t say I’m any worse for reading this book.

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