The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Last updated
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Author Aimee Bender
Audio read byAimee Bender
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
2010
Media typePrint, ebook, audio
Pages292 pages
ISBN 0385501129 First edition hardcover

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a 2010 novel by Aimee Bender. The story is about a young girl, Rose Edlestein, who has the ability to taste the emotions of a person through the food they make.

Contents

Plot

The story begins before Rose's ninth birthday, when her mother, Lane, bakes her a cake for the occasion. Rose knows that Lane is unhappy with her life, but Lane's emotions show otherwise. From the looks of the way the cake was baked, Rose can tell that her mother feels oppressed. Once she realizes that she can taste emotions in the foods that she eats, she quickly comes to dislike it. Rose makes negative comments about the food she is consuming and Lane seems to think that she has done something wrong within her cooking. Rose's father, Paul, is oblivious to the fact that anything is going on per usual, and her brother thinks that his sister has gone insane. [1]

Rose's brother whose name is Joseph has a friend named George. George is the only person who seems to think that Rose is not alright. He is very warmhearted towards Rose and designs an experiment to see how strong her abilities are. The conclusion of the experiment is that Rose is able to detect the emotion in the food she eats in those who cannot comprehend the emotions they are feeling themselves. One day Rose eats a pie that Lane baked and Rose collapses to the floor. Lane takes Rose to the hospital and Rose demands that they get rid of her mouth. [1] Once the shock from what happened is gone. Rose then realizes that if she is to speak about her ability she will come off as insane.

Years go by and Rose has been able to avoid her mother's cooking, but by the age of 12 she decided to join the family dinner. In the roast beef she is able to feel a culmination of things such as, guilt, romance, and lust because Lane is having an affair, which she deduces to be with her co-worker, Larry. While Joseph is babysitting her, he seemingly disappears, to Rose's distress, only to reappear a few moments later outside his bedroom door. This happens again while babysitting a different time, and again when Lane, Rose, George, and Joseph are supposed to leave for his high school graduation. Joseph doesn't get into any of the colleges he applies to and, after some convincing, agrees to attend Los Angeles City College. He gets a nearby apartment with the help of his parents, where he lives alone. [1]

A few months later, when he neglects to call his mother at the scheduled time and is unreachable for a number of days, she goes to check on him and finds him face down on the floor in his kitchen, nearly unconscious. He is rushed to the hospital, where he is treated for, among other things, extreme dehydration. A couple years go by and Rose finds out that Joseph has disappeared again. She is asked by her mother to check on him after, while on a work vacation, she calls him and discovers his phone has been disconnected. She finds a bed sitting in the hallway outside of his door and breaks the chain latch on the door when he doesn't answer her knocks. All the lights in the apartment are out. She finds him in his bedroom, sitting on a chair in front of his laptop in the dark. She stays with him for a while, during which he repeatedly asks her to leave. She sees that the leg of his chair appears to disappear into his shoe, and while investigating this discovers that he is somehow metamorphosing his leg into leg of the chair that he was sitting on. She leaves the room momentarily to find the phone, and when she returns Joseph is gone. [1]

Rose graduates high school and, rather than going to college, decides to stay home and take a job at an office. She finds a restaurant where the food tastes acceptable to her. The cook who makes the food is focused on the ingredients that are being used and how well the food tastes. Not long after, Rose gets a job as a dishwasher at the restaurant. One night, Rose sees that her father is looking at an old photo album. She sees that there is a piece of cloth tied over her grandfather's face in one of the pictures. She then proceeds to ask her father about it, and he says that his father wore it because he had the ability to smell other people's emotions so strongly that it was painful. [1] When Rose opens up to her father about her own ability, he instantly believes her and tells her that he thinks that he himself has a similar skill, however he believes that he will only find out about it while in a hospital, so he avoids them at all costs. Paul feels as though the skill he possesses would be unbearable, as it was for his father. Rose realizes that the skills run in her family, and that her brothers skill might be something that is so unbearably awful, he must "disappear" from the world to escape it. Joseph eventually returns, again face down on the floor. In the hospital, she comforts him about it, and he reveals the reasoning behind the chair incident. The nature of his skill is never revealed.

Finally, Rose, decides to embrace the skill that she has been given to help people, and provide insight to the food in restaurants and training to be a chef at the restaurant where she worked as a dishwasher. She also helps a counselor gain insight into the minds of her teenage patients. [1]

Publication history

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was first published hardback in June 2010 through Doubleday, alongside an e-book edition and audiobook narrated by the author. A paperback edition was released through Anchor Books the following April. [2] [1]

Reception

Jane Ciabattari of NPR reviewed The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, calling it "high-hearted and soulful". [3]

Anna Scott of The Guardian concluded it is a "quirky, engaging tale". [4]

Susan Salter Reynolds of The Los Angeles Times also reviewed the work, concluding that it was "this century’s version of noir, or maybe it’s the opposite of noir", noting that "it’s about daily life that is increasingly impossible to navigate yet moving always forward." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (1985 film) 1985 two-part film directed by Harry Harris

Alice in Wonderland is a 1985 American two-part made-for-television adventure family fantasy musical film of Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871). An Irwin Allen production, it used a huge all-star cast of notable actors and actresses. The title role was played by Natalie Gregory, who wore a blonde wig for this miniseries. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast December 9, 1985, and December 10, 1985, at 8:00pm EST on CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muffin</span> A part-raised flatbread or a quickbread

A muffin is an individually portioned baked product; however, the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a part-raised flatbread that is baked and then cooked on a griddle, or a quickbread that is chemically leavened and then baked in a mold. While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as corn and cheese, and less sweet varieties like traditional bran muffins. The flatbread "English" variety is of British or other European derivation, and dates from at least the early 18th century, while the quickbread originated in North America during the 19th century. Both types are common worldwide today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheesecake</span> Sweet cheese-based dessert

Cheesecake is a sweet dessert made with a soft fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar. It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake. Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked, and is usually refrigerated.

Aimee Bender is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her surreal stories and characters. She is a 2011 recipient of the Alex Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeleine (cake)</span> Small sponge cake with a distinctive shell-like shape

The madeleine or petite madeleine is a traditional small cake from Commercy and Liverdun, two communes of the Lorraine region in northeastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entenmann's</span> American baked goods manufacturer

Entenmann's is an American company that manufactures baked goods and delivers them throughout the United States to supermarkets and other retailers for sale to the public. They are often known to have display cases at the end of store aisles. The company offers dessert cakes, donuts, cookies, cup cakes, loaf cakes, pies, cereal bars, muffins, Danish pastries, crumb cakes, and buns among other baked goods. In the past several years, they have added designer coffee flavors along with scented candles to their product line in an effort to broaden its appeal.

<i>The Gâteau Affairs</i> Hong Kong TV series or program

The Gâteau Affairs (情迷黑森林) is a 20 episode TVB series in late 2004 and early 2005. It stars Joe Ma (馬德鐘), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Bobo Chan (陳文媛), Jack Wu (胡諾言) and Annie Man (文頌嫻). Bobo Chan provides the voice for the theme song. Gâteaux is misspelt as "Gâteux" for all scenes and captions within the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crêpes Suzette</span> French citrus and pancake dessert

Crêpes Suzette is a French dessert consisting of crêpes with beurre Suzette, a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier, triple sec or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, flambéed tableside.

<i>Like Water for Chocolate</i> (film) 1992 Mexican film

Like Water for Chocolate is a 1992 Mexican romantic drama film in the style of magical realism based on the debut novel of the same name published in 1989 by Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel. It earned ten Ariel Awards including the Best Picture and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film became the highest-grossing foreign-language film ever released in the United States at the time. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock cake</span> Small cake resembling a rock

A rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small cake with a rough surface resembling a rock. They were promoted by the British Ministry of Food during the Second World War since they require fewer eggs and less sugar than ordinary cakes, an important savings in a time of strict rationing. Traditional recipes bulked them with oatmeal, which was more readily available than white flour.

<i>Chew</i> (comics) American comic book series

Chew is an American comic book series about a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agent, Tony Chu, who solves crimes by receiving psychic impressions from food, including people. It is written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory and published by Image Comics. The series has won two Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards.

<i>Yumeiro Patissiere</i> Manga and television anime

Yumeiro Patissiere is a shōjo manga and anime series by Natsumi Matsumoto. It began serialization on September 3, 2008, in the October 2008 issue of Ribon. The series ended on June 3, 2011, with a total of 12 tankōbon volumes. The manga won the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards in the Children's category.

"The Rememberer" is a short story by Aimee Bender, first published in fall 1997 issue of the Missouri Review. Later it was published in August 1998, in her anthology, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt.

<i>Mare</i> (TV series) Japanese TV series or program

Mare is a Japanese television drama series, the 92nd Asadora that was broadcast daily on NHK from March 30, 2015, until September 26, 2015, the same as 2009's Asadora series Tsubasa. It is about a young woman from the Noto Peninsula who wants to become a patissier. Tao Tsuchiya, who appeared in the AsadoraHanako to Anne, was cast in the lead role after an audition of 2,020 women.

Elizabeth Goodfellow (c.1767–1851), generally called Mrs. Goodfellow, started one of the first cooking schools in America. She taught classes for thirty years, and her recipes and techniques were passed on for generations in the cookbooks of one of her students, Eliza Leslie. Goodfellow also ran a renowned bakery and confectionery in Philadelphia during the first fifty years of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old-fashioned doughnut</span> Type of deep fried food

The old-fashioned doughnut is a term used for a variety of cake doughnut prepared in the shape of a ring with a cracked surface and tapered edges around it. Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut. Cake doughnuts made with chemical leavener originated in the United States circa 1829. Primary ingredients in the old-fashioned doughnut include flour, sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream or buttermilk, and chemical leavener. It is typically deep fried, may have a crunchier or crisper texture compared to other styles of cake doughnuts, and typically has cracks and pores on its surface. After being fried, it is glazed, dusted with sugar, or served plain.

<i>Pattinathar</i> (1962 film) 1962 Indian film

Pattinathar is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language Hindu devotional film, directed by K. Somu, and written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass and Akilan. The film stars T. M. Soundararajan, who played the title role and M. R. Radha, who played the antagonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Ptak</span> American baker and food writer

Claire Ptak is an American baker, food writer, and food stylist. She owns and runs a bakery-café, Violet Cakes, in London's East End. Alongside running her own business, Ptak has also published an array of cookbooks and written a food column for the Guardian and the Observer Food Monthly. She is widely known for having baked the royal wedding cake for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – a layered sponge filled and covered with a lemon and elderflower buttercream icing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bender, Aimee (2011). The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Anchor Books. ISBN   978-0-385-72096-0.
  2. ↑ "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: 9780385720960". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  3. ↑ Ciabattari, Jane. "'Lemon Cake' Offers Up A Surreal Slice Of Salinger". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  4. ↑ Scott, Anna (2011-02-05). "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender – review". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  5. ↑ Reynolds, Susan Salter (2010-06-06). "Book review: 'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.