The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender is a coming of age story with a twist. Rose Edelstein lives in what appears to be a picture-perfect family. Her father comes home each night from his law practice, and her mother takes care of Rose and her older brother. The picture is not, however, a true representation of Rose’s family. Dad is withdrawn. Mom is unhappy and unfulfilled. Rose’s older brother lives in a world of his own and is rarely seen by the rest of the family except when he silently joins them at dinner. On her ninth birthday, Rose discovers she has developed an odd malady. In her lemon birthday cake, baked by her mother, she can taste desperation. This new “talent” leaves her frightened of food, and more isolated than ever.
Although beautifully written, this is basically a sad book. We follow Rose and her family for a number of years, but their lives remain rather sad and disheartening. No one seems to be substantially better off at the end of the novel than at the beginning. I found this to be a particularly sad book.
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