Book Review - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Most of the time, I am a non-fiction kinda gal.  I love history, biographies and am completely addicted to a good "how to" book.  That being said, sometimes a girl just needs a little fiction in her life..and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender is the kind of fiction I can get behind.

The summary on the book jacket follows;
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming 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. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s  privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world. But there are some family secrets that even her cursed taste buds can’t discern.

There is something charming, sweet, melancholy and uplifting about this book all at the same time.  It makes you look at the people in your own life in a different way.  We all have parts of ourselves we reserve and protect from prying eyes.  Imagine if you could feel all those things your loved ones keep hidden simply by biting into a cookie, or sharing a piece of pie?  What do you think remorse would taste like?  Sorrow or happiness?  This book is written with so much whimsy and yet has such substance all at the same time.  Definitely a story that's not to be missed!

Hugs and Smooches,
D